Hidden Away
by MustardGal
Summary: Whisper Vess is the daughter of the Captain of the King's Army and she was captured by the Silent Warriors. Before she knew it, love had appeared in her life and with a new journey to accomplish. Updated 9/27.
1. Part 1: Dawn

**Disclaimer: I don't own Runescape.**

**Author's C/C Time: Well, if you people have read my Oh Dear story, you'll see that I applied it to real life. It's going to be the same for this story! And each town is HUGE, Varrock and Falador being one of the biggest ones out there. Edgeville and Barbarian village's are semi-large, and Draynor probably the same size. **

**Onto the story! **

Whisper clutched the rag hard and put her hand in the water, scrubbing the pan that had grease and grime all over it. She was unsuccessfully getting all of it off. She pressed as hard as she could, making her knuckles go white. After about fifteen minutes of harsh scrubbing, it finally started to come off. She cleaned it up, dried it and put the pan on the cooking rack.

"Father, dishes are done!" Whisper called out through the window. Her father should be preparing the garden that he held off always until night. She couldn't explain his actions at all.

"That's good, Whisper…" the husky voice grunted as he probably heaved soil to the ground.

"Need help?" Whisper asked, deciding to keep her apron on as she headed out the door.

"Almost done," her father said, "You just prepare to get to sleep."

Whisper stood by the doorway, her hand on the door way. "Alright, but come get me if you need any help, ok?"

"Fine, now scoot."

Whisper gave a small smile and went into the extra room in the house. Her father still treated her like a ten year old when she was turning seventeen not a couple days from now. She guessed her father spoiled her more that her mother had died a few years back. Her mother had died from a harsh fever that had spread like a wildfire through the villages. Thankfully, there weren't many deaths, but her mother had to be one of them.

It had been harsh on her father and herself. Her mother had died when Whisper was around twelve… which is not a very good time for a mother to leave her daughter. But… they had eventually made it through, and now here they were, living in Edgeville. They lived on the side closest to the Barbarian Village, having decided that it wasn't safe to live on the side closest to the wilderness.

Whisper slipped into her nightgown and sat down on her bed, looking at her bookshelf. She sighed. She needed new books, for she had read all of hers. She would make a trip to Varrock tomorrow to look in the stores there. If there were no books there, she would head to Falador on the next day. She probably would spend the whole day in Varrock for she had some friends down there.

She blew out her candle and settled beneath her covers. She heard her father walk in and settle down into his chair out in the small family room. Not long after he had set down she started hearing his snores. She shook her head. Same old Father. She closed her eyes and soon was asleep.

She woke up to a hand shaking her shoulder gently. She opened her eyes groggily to find her father standing there, his Rune armor on.

"Whisper, I need to go to the King Roald," her Father said. "I'll be gone for a few days. We're training the new recruits that had just signed on for the King's army."

Whisper crossed her arms. "Why now?" she asked.

"I just received word not ten minutes ago. I should be back in time for your birthday, so don't worry," her Father reassured

Whisper rolled her eyes and then grinned at her father. "Fine."

Her father winked at her. "I'll see you then."

"Ok," Whisper said and watched her father leave. She sighed and looked out the window. It was not yet six in the morning, but she guessed she would get up and prepare to leave.

Whisper yawned and got dressed in her light tan skirt that reached just below the knees and a matching tank top. She brushed her waist length silvery blonde hair, taking her bangs and making a braid with them on each side of her head. She fixed herself some food and then headed out the door, grabbing her long Mithril sword and shield.

Her father, Sir Darik Vess, was Captain of the King's Army. He usually had to leave every other week or so to Varrock to see how the Army was doing. He had been planning on moving closer so they wouldn't have to walk the distance every now and then, but they hadn't actually made the official plans yet.

Her mother, Lady Amora Slay had been Captain of the King's Army before my father. How they had met is that her father had been a recruit and had trained under her mother. Some of the men in the Army had taken offense about being trained under a woman, but she had been one of the best trainers around, and they soon ate their words. My parents soon feel in love, got married, and had Whisper. They had lived a great life until the tragedy.

Whisper's father still had the same income which could supply probability a few families per day, and yet they hardly used it because they lived in a small house with only a few rooms. People often asked what they did with their money, and they'd be surprised that they didn't do anything with it.

Whisper soon reached the Barbarian Village, ignoring the Barbarians that glared at her. They liked to stick to themselves and often attacked the people weaker than them. They had a nice mining place smack right in the middle of the place, and it was often crowded so you could get hardly anything and spend the whole day there.

Whisper walked to the middle of the mining place and gazed down a hole. More and more people were headed down there, trying to get the colorful or fighting boots at the end. Whisper had chosen the colorful boots when she had done it, not really caring about the fighting ones. They wouldn't quite look right on her.

She noticed someone with a forlorn look come up the hole, carrying clothing and armor. Their friend probably died around the third level where the higher levels dwelled. That's one reason not to go down there if you're low in combat skills. You'll often get killed. Or you could be the smart one and just run through it. Whisper had been one to take her time and fight against any obstacles in her way. She did pass on the high levels though. She had not wanted to get terribly hurt.

Whisper continued on, and soon passed by where the Lady Juliet lived. Whisper waved to the Lady who was on the porch. She feared the Lady was sick, for she did not know where her Romeo was. But, that was her problem. Lady Juliet had people looking for him all over. Whisper had heard that something had gone wrong and now the situation was even worse.

Whisper continued to head towards Varrock, and soon she arrived by the West Bank. She had to squeeze through people to get passed, for the lines were very long. Whisper was grateful that they had their small bank in Edgeville and hardly anyone visited there unless they were headed for the Wilderness.

"Hey!" she heard a person call to her. She recognized it to be the voice of her friend Kag.

Kag ran up to her. She was carrying a large pack on her back and her face was sweating from the effort of trying to carry it.

"Going to make some more swords?" Whisper asked, taking the pack to relieve her friend.

"Yup! I have so many requests for swords, you wouldn't believe it," Kag's said, redoing her brown hair that had come out of the bun it had been in.

"Actually, I could believe it. Varrock is getting really populated," Whisper commented.

"Today is an exception. One of the largest clan's around here is celebrating in the bar today. I wouldn't be going in there!"

"I'll keep that in mind. But a small beer would be refreshing right now," Whisper sighed.

Kag's mouth hung open. "Since when did you drink?"

Whisper laughed. "Since never. I was just joking."

Kag nodded. "Uh huh, sure, right, I believe you."

"Well, I'm going to look at the shops now," Whisper said, heading off.

"No, wait! Sliver said he had some books that he was getting rid of and he was going to ask you if you wanted them."

Whisper smiled. "That's great!" she said and then looked down to the pack she still held in her hands. "Uh… I'm sure you'll need this back."

"There you go again, trying to steal all my ore," Kag joked, taking the bag and then heading into a building.

Whisper shook her head and walked towards the bar. Sliver usually helped the bar keeper on busy days, so she expected him to be there. She arrived at the bar to find the doorway blocked by hundreds of people. Maybe not hundreds, but there were a lot. She ran to the back door which was only for employees, but she headed in anyways.

"Whisper! I have some books for you!" Sliver said, walking into the room with a box full of empty beer bottles. "Feeling like helping clean today?"

"Maybe in a little bit. I was hoping to look at your books first," Whisper said.

"Follow me, then."

Thankfully she had not read the books that he had, and she took a box. She had not thought of bringing the cart, so she borrowed one from the bar. After shopping in all the shops around, she headed back to the bar with a full cart and helped Sliver with the cleaning until it was around five o'clock in the afternoon. She had left shortly after five, and arrived home in time to read a book after dinner was made.

After all that was done, she sat down in a chair and began to read, but she was interrupted when a loud noise sounded from the house next to her. It sounded like an explosion.

Whisper got up from the chair quietly, and peered out the window and gasped. The house was on fire! She heard some screams and grabbed her sword just in case. She ran out, expecting to find people trying to douse the flames, but she something she didn't expect.

The people that lived around her were dead. They all had weapons in their hands. The ground was covered in their blood, and she gave a small scream and backed up a few steps.

What was this? Who was attacking?

Whisper turned to ran back in the house but she ran into a person standing there. She fell backwards and landed hard on the ground. She looked up and held her sword tighter. The man that stood before her was not familiar at all. He had Rune armor, Rune battle ax, and was wearing a Rune helmet. He took the helmet off and Whisper gasped. The man standing before her was not a year older than her! He had wavy blonde hair and dark brown eyes that looked almost black. He had a scar across his nose and he gave a small evil smile to Whisper.

Whisper growled at him. "Who are you? Did you do all this? Why didn't I hear all the fighting?"

"Don't you know our clan?" he asked quietly but evilly.

"No; should I?" Whisper asked.

"We are the Silent Warrior's, dear Lady Whisper Vess," he said.

Whisper snarled at the mention of her name. "You didn't answer my question. Did you do all this?"

"Yes…"

At the sound of the 'yes' Whisper sprang up and thrust her sword at the man. He parried and they locked swords.

"Why?" Whisper asked, tears coming to her eyes.

The man laughed. "There is no 'why' in my book."

"Then maybe you should end your book," Whisper said, pushing his sword back.

"My my, that's some strength you have, Lady Whisper," the man said. He had been holding his sword with two hands, and then he let go so only his left arm held his sword. "But you can't match my power."

Whisper struggled to hold against his strength. Her muscles strained and she gave a small yell in trying to push him back, but it was to no avail. She fell back down to the ground and the man had gotten behind her and whacked his sword's handle on Whisper's head, making her crumple to the ground.

Whisper could hardly hear what the man said. "Lady Whisper Vess, you are to be taken captive and held under the Silent Warrior's hold. Soon not only Edgeville will be attacked, but the rest of the villages as well."

Whisper's vision began to disappear and the world went black. She heard no more.

**To be continued!**

**It actually doesn't seem that long… but I hoped you guys liked it and please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's C/C Time: Ok, so I have bad news for you all. This might be the last chapter for about 3 weeks. Yeah, 3 weeks. I uh… am going on a trip somewhere. And… also… don't send Yoda at me :3 I used to be very scared of him when I was little… and he can kick bad butt, uh huh… Well, anyways, I MIGHT be able to post next weekend because I'm coming home that week, but I might not be in the mood for writing… I don't know… we'll see…**

Whisper woke up with a groan, immediately clenching her head. It was t_hrobbing_, and it would not stop. Whisper then looked at her hands. Thankfully, they had not been chained at all. She groaned again and painfully sat up. She sighed and looked around the small room she was in. It was bouncing around, so she guess she was in a wagon. She crawled to the door and tried to yank open it by grabbing the bars and pulling, but they would not budge.

She gave a small yell and leaned against the wall after she had used all her strength. She then heard some footsteps by the barred windows, so she got up and called out from there. "Hey! Let me out!" she screamed.

It was pouring rain outside and she heard thunder in the distance. Then a black form came in front of the window. "You slept a long time," the same voice of the young man spoke.

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to get knocked on the head either," Whisper spat at him. "Where are you taking me?"

"Why would we tell you?"

Whisper growled at him. "Just answer," she said.

The man closed his eyes and sighed. "Hot tempered as her mother," he said, shaking his head.

Whisper's breath stilled. "You knew my mother?"

"Hardly, but lets not talk about that shall we?" he said.

"Why am I here?" Whisper asked quietly.

"Why would I know? It's just a job for us," the man said.

"Who gave you the job?"

The man grinned, though it looked forced. "My father, Tekachi."

Whisper's eyes went wide and she sat down, her back against the wall. Tekachi? Father's rival from when he was a recruit in the King's Army?

"You know him, then," the man said.

"I know of him, yes," Whisper said quietly. "You are his son, then. What's your name?"  
"I'm named after my father," the man said.

"Shall I call you Junior, then?"

"You shall call me Tekachi, even though you will hardly get the chance to see me when we arrive," Tekachi growled.

"Hmph." Whisper didn't want to talk to him anymore. She grew sick when she realized that this young man had slaughtered some of her village. Tears came to her eyes and she held her head, letting the tears fault.

Tekachi grunted at her crying and road off to the front.

Whisper fell asleep still thinking of her village and her father. She never wanted to wake up.

The wagon jolted hard on a rock, forcing Whisper awake. Sunlight beamed down on her from the windows and she noticed it had stopped raining. She groaned and held her stomach. With the wagon bouncing up and down, her stomach couldn't hold her food. She needed to get out and to relieve herself.

She crawled to the window and yelled out, "I need to get out!"

Tekachi came back and glared at her. "No," he commanded strictly.

Whisper tried to keep angry tears in. "You capture me, kill my friends, lock me in a wagon, and now you're keeping me from relieving myself."

Tekachi hardly even flinched and then sighed. "Stop the wagon," he commanded the coachmen. Then he turned back to Whisper. "We will let you off for not more than two minutes. Don't even try to run away," he said.

Whisper nodded, not listening to him. All she was thinking about is her chance to escape. The door opened and she jumped down, struggling to stand because she had been sitting for a long time. She tried to steady herself so she didn't puke.

"And remember, Lady Vess, that you are in the company of only men," Tekachi said, motioning around with his hands. "I would watch out if I were you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Whisper spat and stalked off. She looked around and saw a man asleep in his saddle. His sword was kept on the side of the saddle. She made it look like she was looking for a bush, but in fact she kept on walking closer to the horse.

Finally, she spun on her heel and grabbed the sword from the saddle, cut it, and pushed the man off the horse. She heard a yell and horses galloping towards her, but she ignored them and jumped onto the horse. Luckily, her father had taught her horse lessons when she was younger so she was very experienced.

She urged the horse forward and soon she was outracing the horses behind her, except one, which was Tekachi. Obviously, he knew how to ride very well. Whisper sighed and urged the horse even faster across the land. The land was bare, but she saw a forest in the distance. She changed her course and headed for that. She glanced back and saw that Tekachi was gaining on her. She prayed that she would last until the forest and then lose him there.

Tekachi was right behind her and she heard him scream, "Stop or I'll kill you!"

"No!" Whisper screamed and jerked the horse to the side. She felt an arrow whiz right by her head. She jerked the horse to the side again and they were in the forest. She held the sword and cut the vines that were in her way. She didn't hear Tekachi behind her. She sighed in relief and kept on going.

After about ten minutes of hard riding, she looked around to make sure nobody was still following her. Seeing no one, she stopped the horse into a walk and brushed its hair with her fingers. She leaned down and whispered a 'thank you' to the horse.

It was another thirty minutes and Whisper decided they had given up the chase. She looked around at her surroundings and was trying to find out where she was. She decided she was deep in the wilderness and would have to ride around until she saw something familiar from the few times she had been in here.

She came upon a nice clear lake and stopped for the horse so it could take a drink. She hurried with her business and drinking just in case they were being followed still. She got back on the horse and rode off.

The trees started to get scarce and she realized she was headed toward where the lava was. She grinned and kicked the horse on its side softly, putting it in a small trot. She stopped the horse when an arrow landed in front of them.

"No," she gasped and turned.

Tekachi was there on his horse. His hair was caked in sweat and he was glaring fiercely at her. "You will come with me."

"No," Whisper said again and started to retreat backwards.

Tekachi cursed and yelled, "That was one hell of a chase, Vess. You're lucky if I don't kill you right now."

Whisper turned the horse around and galloped toward the forest. "You won't get the chance to!" she screamed fearfully.

"You're not escaping this time, Vess!" she heard Tekachi yell and the sound of his horse galloping toward her.

Whisper made it back into the forest and tried to escape wildly from Tekachi. He was almost right by her this time, and he was drawing an arrow. "Stop!" he yelled.

Whisper shook her head and kept going.

She gasped when she saw what she was headed to. She screamed in frustration when she tried to turn the horse around to miss the oncoming cliff, but to no avail. The horse slipped and fell backwards, and they plunged to the bottom.

Whisper frantically tried to grab the vines on the side of the cliff. She finally caught hold of one and held on tightly. Her arms nearly came out of their sockets and she grimaced in pain. Her knuckles turned white and she began slipping. She searched for footholds, and she placed her foot on top a rock, but it gave way, causing her to slip even more and swing from side to side. She heard the horse neigh frantically until she could hear it no more. Tears of anger and fear slipped out of her eyes.

"Someone please help me!" she screamed as loud as she could.

"Grab hold of my bow," Tekachi said, appearing and laying down, holding down his bow for Whisper.

"I don't want to," Whisper said.

"Grab it! You'll live a longer life!"

"Why would I want to? You ruined it!" Whisper screamed at him.

"Just. Grab. It." Tekachi growled.

Whisper felt her hands slipping again and she decided right then. She reached for the bow and quickly put both of her hands on it.

Tekachi strained to pull her up.

Whisper tried to climb with her feet on the cliff. Her foot slipped and she fell back against the cliff again. "I can't do this!" she cried out.

"Yes you can!" Tekachi grunted and tried to pull her up again.

After a few attempts, Whisper was finally close enough so that Tekachi could grab her arms and pull her up. He yanked her up and they both fell backwards, trying to catch their breath.

Whisper was trying to stop the tears from coming up.

Tekachi took a final deep breath and got up. He pulled some rope out of his horses pack and yanked Whisper back up.

Whisper tried to stand up, but it was hard since she was shaking so bad. Tekachi had tied her hands and feet. Whisper had no strength to fight him off.

Tekachi pointed a finger at her. "No running off this time. Time has been delayed and we must ride at full pace."

Whisper nodded silently.

Tekachi picked her up and put on the horse and then he jumped up, having her in front of him. He put the horse into a semi fast run, and they were off again.

Whisper sighed and closed her eyes, trying to sleep on this bumpy ride. So. She was captured again. She clenched her fists tight and angry tears poured out once again.

She wanted to get home.

**To Be Continued!**

**Poor Whisper :(**

**I had a dream about Runescape. I'll tell you people it, eh? Ok, it started out that I was walking through Runescape and all the sudden big news came around. The news was that at midnight all of the good people would get to go to heaven.**

**Yeah, I know, a bit weird… but who wouldn't want to go to heaven, eh?**

**Thankfully I turned out to be a good person :P So at midnight, a big hand came down from the sky and grabbed all the good people, lifting us up into the clouds. **

**Man, was it crazy up there.**

**We were issued new clothes. They were so cool :) **

**And a truck. We all got a truck.**

**And I saw my two best friends arguing over something. Well, maybe not arguing, but I'm guessing. **

**Then a horse ran away and I had to catch it. Somebody pulled its eyelid down so it was really funky looking. I held the reign and was leading it somewhere, but then it began shrinking! I don't know what happened to it.**

**Then I woke up :) **

**Thank you so much for the reviews! **

**And don't forget to leave one ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oi!**

**Been awhile, eh?**

**Sorry it took so long!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Runescape or the poems or songs.**

Whisper wiped her eyes and put a straight look on her face. She couldn't show her fear here, now that they have arrived at the group again. When she was thrust down from the horse and shoved back into the wagon, she went in it in silence and sat down in a corner.

She wanted to talk to Sliver and Kag.

The wagon door opened again and a bucket was put in. She guessed it was her slop bucket.

"We aren't going to let you out until we arrive. This will be your slop bucket," her guard said.

She sighed. She was right. She picked up the bucket and kept it at arms length. It _stank._

She glared at the bucked and through it at the side in frustration. Bad idea. Whatever had been left on the bucket fell off, and it looked strikingly like… well, poop. Whisper wiped her hands on whatever clean clothing she had, trying not to smear it too bad.

The wagon jolted and she, having had to bend over to stand in the wagon, bumped her head on the ceiling and fell down. And with her stomach rumbling, it didn't help the helplessness she felt. She couldn't cry. She just went to lie on her back and stared at the ceiling.

Eventually, she fell asleep.

She woke to the sun shining brightly on her, and she guessed it was about midmorning. The rain and thunder was gone, though she could tell the ground was wet, because the wagon kept slipping. She slowly sat up and went to go lean against the bars.

Tekachi noticed she was awake. "So, Vess, finally awake?"

Whisper didn't say anything.

"You hungry?"

Whisper didn't say anything.

Tekachi growled. "Answer me, woman, or you'll not be fed till we arrive, which will not be for another two days."

Whisper clenched her stomach and felt it growl. She sighed. "Fine."

Tekachi passed through a small bag through the bars. "There's some fruit, cheese and bread. You'll not get any food until dinnertime."

Whisper nodded and silently began to eat her food, munching slowly. She heard Tekachi shout for someone to clean her slop bucket. She heard someone run to the back of the wagon, trying to reach the slop bucket. He had to watch his feet because the wagon was still moving, and the slop bucket was in the middle.

The man sighed and got a pair of keys out, unlocking the door and hopping in. He looked sadly at Whisper and grasped the slop bucket, getting a small shovel out and scooping what had come off it into it. "Me mighty sorry about all this, miss," he whispered.

Whisper wiped her eyes, tears threatening her again.

The man rubbed his unshaven face. "Lord Tekachi is a harsh man, and many people did not seem to want to follow this plan. Even his son, Tekachi, questioned capturing the Guard's daughter."

"Tekachi did?" Whisper said quietly.

"Unfortunately, the young Tekachi took after his father. His lust for bloodshed. So, methinkin, that with you here, maybe you can change the young lad," the man said.

Whisper looked at him questionably.

"Me can't say anymore," the man said once his name was called. "Me best be goin'."

"Thank you," Whisper said for his kindliness.

The man jumped out, getting questioned for what took so long. He replied a lot of crap had spilled out and he had trouble mopping it all up. He then went off to hopefully clean it.

Whisper thought of his words. Change Tekachi?

How?

Tekachi, having killed her friends in Edgeville, already would have a death sentence on his head. Even if she changed him, he would be hanged.

So why bother?

The day passed slowly, Whisper occasionally getting up and walking around, hunched over to not hit her head, though that was almost impossible for the wagon seemed to hit every bump possible. Soon, she had a pounding headache, and she had to lie down with her head resting on her arms to calm her head.

The man who had cleaned her slop bucket returned with the bucket sparkling clean, smelling greatly of soap. He gave her an encouraging smile, slipped it through the door and went off.

Then dinner was served, consisting of almost the same food, though this time she had an apple and rotting cheese. Not having had enough food, she gulped it down anyways, trying not to gag on the cheese.

She thought of a song she used to sing when she was tired and couldn't fall asleep. Her mother had sung it to her when she couldn't fall asleep when something had gone wrong that day and her father had tried too… and well, let's say that they had decided to keep their windows. In other words, he had a terrible voice that could shatter glass. That was the _only_ downfall of him. Whisper smiled, remembering her mother and her flinching when he had tried to sing. They had both laughed when he got done singing, and he laughed along with them. Whisper was never quite to sure if her father sung badly on purpose.

Whisper closed her eyes and started to sing.

_Come, heavy sleep, the image of true death;  
And close up these my weary weeping eyes:  
Whose spring of tears doth stop my vital breath,  
And tears my heart with sorrow's sigh-swoll'n cries:  
Come and possess my tired thoughtworn soul,  
That living dies, till thou on me be stole._

_Come shadow of my end, and shape of rest,  
Allied to death, child to his black-fac'd night:  
Come thou and charm these rebels in my breast,  
Whose waking fancies do my mind affright.  
O come sweet sleep, come or I die for ever,  
Come ere my last sleep comes, or come never. _

_**(Song called 'Come, Heavy Sleep" written by John Dowland.)**_

Whisper struggled with the line, thinking.

Whisper closed her eyes and sang no more. _Dear Father, Sliver, Kag… what are you doing right now? Are you trying to find me? Why, Mother? Why does it have to be this way?_

Whisper shook her head, trying to get the negative thoughts out of her head. She heard Tekachi gallop next to her.

He spoke. "The men are wondering if you are going to sing again."

Whisper glared at him. "No."

Tekachi grinned. "Have you heard your voice lately? Its enough to keep a whole army captivated."

Whisper blushed and looked away.

Tekachi looked up into the sky. "How about this, Vess. We will let you walk around and stretch your legs for five minutes tomorrow if you sing for us now."

"What's the catch for me walking around, though?"

"I'm going to be standing right next to you, along with two other men," Tekachi said.

Whisper leaned her head against her knees. "So be it," she said. She really needed to stretch her legs, no matter what. "And I won't try to escape," she added.

"Jolly good, my dear," Tekachi said. He galloped to the front of the line. "Hear me, men! Our dear captive, Whisper Vess, will now sing a song for us!"

Whisper heard the men give a cheer and she cleared her throat, and softly began to sing:

_Take this kiss upon the brow!  
And, in parting from you now,  
Thus much let me avow-  
You are not wrong, who deem  
That my days have been a dream;  
Yet if hope has flown away  
In a night, or in a day,  
In a vision, or in none,  
Is it therefore the less gone?  
All that we see or seem  
Is but a dream within a dream._

_I stand amid the roar  
Of a surf-tormented shore,  
And I hold within my hand  
Grains of the golden sand-  
How few! yet how they creep  
Through my fingers to the deep,  
While I weep- while I weep!  
O God! can I not grasp  
Them with a tighter clasp?  
O God! can I not save  
One from the pitiless wave?  
Is all that we see or seem  
But a dream within a dream? _

_**(poem by Edger Allen Poe)**_

Whisper finished slowly and became quiet once more, wishing for it to be true.

Tekachi cleared his throat. "Thank you, Whisper."

Whisper looked at him and silently sang 'If Those Dark Eyes…"

_If those dark eyes have gazed on me,  
Unconscious of their power—  
The glance in secret ecstasy  
I've treasured many an hour.  
If that soft voice, a single word  
Has breathed for me to hear,  
Like Heaven's entrancing airs, the chord  
Resounded on my ear._

_And yet, alas! too well I knew  
That love—or hope—was vain,  
The fountain whence delight I drew  
Would end in yielding pain!  
My folly and my peace at once  
A moment could destroy;  
It bade me every wish renounce,  
And broke my dream of joy _

_**(Song by Louisa Stuart Costello)**_

Whisper, tired and feeling very down, laid her head down and fell asleep, wanting this chapter in her life to end.

**Sorry if the poems or songs didn't really fit. I'll try to make my own sometime! And I don't know if I spelt Edger Allen Poe right, and I lost the page where I got the poem from, but it think it was from him. Can't say. Sorry, I don't think this was much of a chapter, but hopefully it'll satisfy you for now. I've had writer's block for awhile, so it might seem choppy.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Bleh. I haven't been able to go do different sites because my dad is being protective of the updated computer. :sigh: So, to post this, I will probably have to sneak online. Yippy! **

**Sorry this story is taking so long to put chapters up. I've been having writer's block. We also are canning peaches. So fun. My hands are getting so old :sobs:**

Whisper crawled to the side of the wagon. "I want to walk around now," she shouted particularly to Tekachi.

He galloped over and swung down off his horse. "We must make it quick. We are entering the Forbidden Woods."

"Why are they forbidden?" Whisper asked and crawled to do the door that was getting opened.

"I believe its just to scare people away," he answered.

"Ah." Whisper jumped down and stood straight, feeling her back crack a few times. She shivered. It was getting cold.

Tekachi handed her a small blanket. "It will start snowing soon. We don't want to be caught out in the snow, but if we are, we should keep our prisoner warm."

Whisper put the blanket around her shoulders. "Let's get walking, shall we?"

Tekachi shook his head. "Hold out your hands," he commanded, and he brought out some rope.

"This wasn't in the plans," Whisper protested.

"Forgot to mention it, Vess. If you complain one more time, you won't get out until we arrive, which should be around noon tomorrow."

Whisper stuck her lip out defiantly and held out her hands. She would do anything for a stretch of her legs. Thankfully the rope wasn't tied tightly around her wrists, so she could move them around a bit. She started to walk along the wagon, Tekachi beside her, and the man who had talked to her in the wagon walked beside her also.

She was getting a bit tired of being in the wagon. First off, when she had to relieve herself, it was humiliating because there were no doors, and she had to constantly watch the slop bucket so it didn't fall over when they went over the bumps, and once she had missed catching it, and made a total mess. The man that took care of her slop bucket was silent when he cleaned it up, and she had been near tears because she was sick, just plain sick, of being in that wagon.

"How about a song for the road," Tekachi said, interrupting her saddened thoughts.

"No," Whisper defiantly answered back.

"Another five minute walk tomorrow before we arrive."

"No."

"You seem desperate to get out of that wagon, Vess."

"No." She actually was, even more than desperate. But she wouldn't do another deed for this man.

Tekachi sighed and kept quiet.

Whisper started to count the minutes. Only about two more minutes left. She glanced at the kind man on the other side of her. He gave a small smile and looked back to the road. She wished she could have smiled back…

But she couldn't. She felt dead inside.

The five minutes ended and Whisper was put back into the wagon. She turned to Tekachi who got upon his horse again. "I have questions for you."

"I will if you sing a song…"

"Are you so desperate for a song?"

Tekachi turned silent and looked away. His eyes looked pained. "Ask, Lady Vess."

"Do you plan to use me as bait? To lure me away so my father will come and try to find me, and catch him by surprise?"

"Your father has no clue to where our clan resides."

"Then why capture me in the first place?" Whisper said angrily.

Tekachi didn't say anything.

"Why?" Whisper spat again.

"I do not know. My father must have some sort of… plan of what to do with you."

"Does it have to do with my mother?" Whisper said quietly.

"Yes, that may have some part. My father… my father just may want to ruin your father's life."

"Then why did you agree to capture me? You had no part in his past," Whisper said, then remembered what the kind man said. His lust for bloodshed.

Tekachi grinned. "Who could resist a find battle?"

"A battle with innocent people! You murdered my friends and neighbors," Whisper accused.

"Maybe so, dear Vess, but I must comply with my father's wishes."

Whisper wished she had something to throw at him. But all she had was her slop bucket. And she decided against it, afraid of what he will do to her afterwards.

She sighed and looked at the trees they were passing. The trunks were huge, and almost a dark blue color. This was a beautiful forest. Maybe that's why it was called 'forbidden' because they wanted to persevere this beautiful forest.

Then snow began to fall.

Tekachi rode to the front of the line. "Men," he said, and he had a tint of worry in his voice. "We must speed up, or our path will be snowed over. No rest for the night. Double the speed."

Whisper felt the wagon jerk and she fell foreword, hitting her elbow. When they doubled of the speed, it was more like tripled. They were going uphill, and she leaned against the back of the wagon. She tried to inspect the door. Maybe if she leaned on it long enough on this hill, it might give out. But even she decided against escaping. She had no clue where she was, no food, no money, and it was snowing. She wouldn't last five days.

So, she sighed and just sat there.

Nightfall passed, and then dawn came. When Whisper had woken up to the morning sun she noticed the wagon was going a bit slower, and they were going downhill. So they had succeeded in getting past the mountain. The snow, she noticed, was beginning to get a little thinner, and she was sort of thankful for that.

Her breakfast came, and she nibbled on it slowly. Today was the day she would finally get to meet her father. After she had finished her breakfast, she began to watch the passing scenery. They had gotten out of the woods, and they reached level land.

"Tekachi," Whisper shouted.

He arrived quickly by the wagon.

"Are we there yet?"

He sighed. "We should be there in an hour. We will arrive sooner than I thought."

"Great," Whisper muttered.

They continued in silence, Tekachi not moving from the wagon side. About forty five minutes later, she noticed some buildings coming up. Whisper looked around with wide eyes. "What is this…" she muttered quietly.

"This is our village."

"What? I thought you were a clan.

"We are a clan. We are also a village."

"So, your father is the… leader?"

"Yes."

Whisper noticed the woman and children walking along the road. "Are these people all the Silent Warriors?"

"Most of them aren't. The ones in that certain clan live near around the center."

"It's amazing how they all agree with your barbaric antics," I muttered.

Tekachi spun around. "Lady Vess, we are not barbaric."

_Well, I'm not going to take it back,_ Whisper thought.

"Yes, we have been known for killing people. And my father is responsible for all that. Sometimes the people in the clan have no choice," he said.

"Why not?"

"My father… is a difficult man… to disobey."

"Great," Whisper mumbled.

She stared at the people in the streets. She noticed some gaped when they saw her. She guessed the villagers weren't let in on the plan that she was to be captured. The wagon stopped with a jolt and she tried to look to the front of the line. She noticed some men and woman standing there.

"Sir Tekachi, why do you have a captive?" one of the men asked.

"Father's orders," he replied.

Whisper heard the people start to mutter.

"I've never seen the Silent Warrior's clan take a captive," a woman said.

A man agreed with her. "His father is going too far."

"My father," Tekachi said rather loudly, "has plans for this lady. I will see personally that no harm will be brought to her. Now, let us pass."

_So… this village is divided. Half is just a normal village living their life, the other half a barbaric clan. Great. _Whisper thought.

The people nodded sympathetically to her. She didn't smile, she didn't nod back… she just looked down, and began to think things over.

_So… I'm about to meet Tekachi's father. Should I slap him when I meet him? Attack him? Smile sweetly? Just be quiet and glare?_

_Ok, I'll take the 'just be quiet and glare'; I don't want to start a riot._

_And… how do I get rescued? My father doesn't know this location. Probably no one does. _

_I'm stuck here, until maybe I'll escape by myself._

Whisper rubbed her eyes tiredly. _Maybe that kind man can help me. _

_I'm starting to get scared of Tekachi's father. What will he do to me? He was father's rival, and he is a known killer in the Silent Warrior's clan. How much did he hate my father? Does he hate him enough to kill his daughter?_

Whisper hoped not.

**When I returned from that trip, I had forgotten a lot of what I had put in this story. So that may be why I had a big writer's block for this story. **

**And, to whoever ventured into my other stories, I must say that I cannot continue my Inuyasha story, Hidden Too Deep. I don't know what to do with it anymore, and it didn't turn out the way I wanted too. So, that is done for now. I am hoping to get a short one-shot up for Naruto, and maybe a long one for that, but that won't be for a long while from now. I'm still going to continue my Oh Dear III and Hidden Away, and those will be my big projects for awhile. **

**Erm… I am noticing how much Hidden Away is turning into a story hardly related to Runescape. So, here is what I'm going to do: I'm going to finish it for you guys, but I will rewrite it into my own story (with the setting and all that) and if its good enough and the grammar is proper and right and bla bla bla, I'm hoping to publish it as my first work. This story will eventually have a sequel to it. I hope. **

**I know some people steal stories out there, and I had, I think, my Oh Dear I stolen or something like that. If I do find it anywhere, though, I am going to get serious. Beware. Rawr. So in case this story is stolen and if I publish this book and get accused, I'm going (hopefully) to change some of it. Make it longer. That stuff. Yeah. Tell me if I'm crazy or not.**

**Woo! A long Author's C/C Time! GO ME! **


	5. Chapter 5

**GASP! I AM SO SORRY! I HAVE NEGLACTED THIS STORY! NO:shoots self in head:**

Whisper gulped and looked at the huge castle they were approaching. The castle's walls were made out of pure stone… it would take many strong catapults to break it down. And it was actually almost around a body of water. Whisper held tightly to the bars with her forehead leaning against them. She watched the bridge slowly go down, and the wagon starting to cross it. Guards nodded to Tekachi, as he nodded back, but barely.

The wagon stopped in front of a huge double wooden door, and Whisper sat back against the bars. Tekachi came over and opened the door to the wagon. "Come, Lady Vess."

Whisper gave a small shake of her head.

Tekachi sighed. "Let's just make this easier for the both of us, Whisper."

Whisper looked at his eyes. They seemed weary, and she could fully see the tiredness on his face. Whisper silently nodded and climbed out of the wagon. She stretched her legs and walked alongside Tekachi.

"Whisper, whatever you do…" Tekachi started to say silently.

"Huh?" Whisper responded, confused.

"Do not make him angry," Tekachi finished.

"Pff," Whisper scoffed. "The same should go for you."

"Oi, now," Tekachi glared.

Tekachi led her into the castle, walking her through stairways and long halls full of unlit candles. They finally came to a dead end in a hall, except for one small door. Tekachi opened the door motioned for Whisper to get inside.

"Father!" Tekachi spoke loudly. "I have brought as you commanded. Whisper Vess."

"Ah! My son," a man spoke gruffly in the dark room. "Come over here."

Whisper approached cautiously, and took in the appearance of Tekachi's father.

The man looked over at her and grinned. He was sitting in a chair looking over some maps. He leaned back and rubbed a hand over his graying hair. That was about the only thing you could tell that he was older that you would think. He had the body of a young man (well, it looked liked it, to Whisper's point of view.) He stood up and walked over to Whisper, who shrank back.

"Lady Vess… daughter of the Captain of the Guard," the father said while approaching her.

Whisper tried to shrink away, but only made it a few inches, for Tekachi grabbed her by the shoulders. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I best not move and just listen, if I were you."

Whisper gave a slight nod and looked at the father. "I am Whisper Vess," she confirmed.

"Yes…" he walked over and grabbed Whisper's chin and lifted it up so he could make eye contact. "You look exactly like your mother."

"Why do you want me here?" Whisper asked.

The father put a finger to Whisper's lips. "You best be quiet and just listen. And you may call me 'Master' from now on."

"Master…?" Whisper repeated, astounded. "I answer to no one except the King and my father."

"So they are your master, then?" the father said.

"I didn't mean it that way," Whisper spat back. "I will not call you 'Master' or anything."

"Heh. Defiant like your mother."

Whisper shook herself loose from Tekachi's hold. She was beginning to get peeved. "Alright, old man, I'm sick and tired of getting treated like dirt around here. Answer me! Why was I brought here?" She backed a step once she saw the father's hand coming towards her face to slap her. She avoided it a little bit but still felt the sting of his fingernails scraping against her skin.

"You will respect me around here, no matter what, Vess. You will call me Master Tekachi, and no more questions must be asked," Master Tekachi growled at her.

Whisper responded with a fist aiming for his face, but was stopped by Tekachi who grabbed her arm. "Stop, Vess!" he commanded.

"No! I just want to go home!" Whisper shouted and aimed a kick at Tekachi's legs. She caught him under the back of his legs and succeeded in dropping him to the ground, but she was stopped when she felt a hard weight get knocked onto her head. She collapsed on her knees and tried to stay upright, her vision doing circles. She wasn't close to fainting, but it had doggoned hurt.

The Master Tekachi stooped down to Whisper's level. "It looks like the Princess isn't tamed yet. The princess must learn her limits." He looked up. "Son, take her to a cell."

Tekachi nodded and lifted Whisper up by the arm. He walked her out of the room and closed the door, then walked to the stairwell. He stopped at the bottom and let go of Whisper's arm. She had been leaning against him, and with the support gone, she tumbled on the ground. Tekachi didn't even bother to look at her. "I said not to get him mad."

Whisper glared at him.

"You could have gotten a nice room, but no, you had to go to the cellar."

"Why does it bother you?" Whisper asked.

"It doesn't really, though how will I get to listen to your singing without having to go into the cold down there?"

"Hmph."

Tekachi grinned. "Hey, perhaps you might like it better here…"

Whisper stood up and jabbed a finger at his chest, tears boiling up. "Tekachi, do not forget you murdered my neighbors and friends I knew. Do not forget that, and if you do, I will remind you of it again, so you can suffer the rest of your life, as my friend's families will suffer!" Whisper screamed at him.

Tekachi held up his hands. "Now, let's not get vicious."

Whisper went to slap him, but Tekachi caught her hands and sighed. "Rule Number One About Women: When they are upset, they will slap. Please, Whisper, I thought you were better than that."

"Do you understand why we women slap the men?"

"'cause they can't do anything better," Tekachi laughed.

"No, you got it wrong," Whisper said. "They slap because they can't get through the men's thick skulls!"

"Ouch," Tekachi said and whistled. He grinned and clapped. "That's the best reason I've heard yet!"

Whisper jabbed a finger at his chest again. "Lead me to my cell!"

Tekachi sighed. "Fine, whatever you want."

Whisper folded her arms and followed behind Tekachi. _Why is he being like this? WHY? _Whisper fumed._ He's purely evil. That's all he is… evil. Why cannot he feel sadness for the ones he murdered? Why, why, why? … _

"And here, is your cell. Let me welcome you to your wooden bed, slop bucket, and wash bin," Tekachi said happily.

"There's no covers for the wash bin," she mumbled.

"Oh, so there isn't!" Tekachi observed. "I guess you'll just have to leave it that way."

"But its not covered," Whisper said again.

"If you want, I'll come guard…" he offered.

"No!" Whisper replied back quickly. He would probably be the worst!

Tekachi sighed. "Fine. I'll have someone put a cover over the bars. But they will only be covered when you're washing yourself." He turned and looked Whisper in the eyes. "I don't trust you."

"In what?"

"You'll try to escape, I know it, Vess," he whispered to her.

She didn't say anything.

"There is going to be a guard, 24/7. And its not going to be one of those ones in fairy tales where they always fall asleep and the prisoner is able to get the keys and escape. Oh, no. Not here," Tekachi warned.

"Ah…"

"Just remember, Vess, you're not in a fairy tale. There will be a war, lives lost, and you could possibly even die. You must act serious."

Whisper walked into the cell and seated herself on the bed. "I know. And I'll remember that."

"And this probably isn't a fairy tale where you had a boyfriend at home and you're just waiting for him to rescue you," Tekachi added.

Where had he gotten that thought? Whisper wondered. "Of course not. Like I said, guys have thick skulls, right?"

"Hmph," Tekachi said. "So… no boyfriend."

Whisper glared at him. "I'm not here to talk about my life."

Tekachi ignored her. "That's good," he whispered to himself, not loud enough for Whisper to hear. He started walking away. "I wouldn't want her to be disappointed that she wouldn't be rescued."

Whisper noticed he was leaving. She ran to the bars. "Hey! You could at least give me a blanket, or food!" she yelled, clutching her growling stomach.

Tekachi put his hand in the air. "Ja!"

"Hey!" Whisper screamed. She collapsed against the bars, almost in pure darkness, for it was now getting dark and the candles hadn't been lit. She walked to her bed and sat in the moonlight. "I'm… all alone…" she whispered. Once again, she felt her tears coming on again. She laid down and started to sing a small song to help her sleep: "_Come, heavy sleep, the image of true death; and close up these my weary weeping eyes…"_ She fell asleep.

Tekachi, meanwhile, had been waiting by the wall where she couldn't see him. He had waited to hear her voice again. He heard her soft voice, and he looked out the small window next to him. He hugged his arms around him, and spoke softly to himself, "How can sleep come, when I do still see the faces of the people I kill? How does Vess not know how it affects me… how it affects me deeply…" He walked away, losing the sound of Whisper's voice. He smiled softly to himself, though the smile didn't look evil at all. In fact… it looked sad.

**I plan to be updating this regularly now, 'cause my idea is slowly unraveling out. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Boo XD**

Whisper sprang up from the wooden bench when she felt a bucket of cold water being poured on her face. She gasped at the sudden rush of cold against her already cold skin, and she immediately glared at whoever dumped the water on her. Of course, it was Tekachi. She stood up and crossed her arms, still glaring at Tekachi who was dragging in a large wooden tub.

"Now, now, Lady Vess, whatever is that glare for?" Tekachi said, a grin on his face.

Tekachi sighed when Whisper didn't respond. "Are you giving me the silent treatment again?"

"Where are we?" Whisper asked out of the blue.

"You already know where you are," Tekachi sighed again. "My father's… domain."

"Where in Runescape are we!?" Whisper yelled at him.

"I just told you."

"Are we in the wilderness?"

"Farther than the wilderness, m'dear."

Farther than the wilderness? Whisper knew the wild was pretty deep, but she had never heard stories that were farther than the wilderness. Whisper rubbed her head to get this all through. She looked back up at Tekachi. "My father will come for me, you know that."

"He has no clue of the location. He can't possibly come looking for you," Tekachi pointed out.

"Somebody has too! You're the Silent Warriors, right? Somebody has to know of you!"

"Yeah, sure, somebody knows of us. Seriously, Whisper, you don't have to worry about your father coming."

"Why? Because I'll be stuck here the REST of my life?"

"You could say that."

"Over my dead body," Whisper seethed at him. She bent low to spring at him.

Tekachi laughed and held up his arms. "You NEED to calm down, Whisper. It's no use attacking and escaping, anyways. The pass is snowed over. You would die."

"Better that then here."

"You don't mean that."

Whisper chewed her lip. Of course she didn't mean that. She would rather live to see her father and friends.

Tekachi gave a small bow and left without a word, leaving the tub with hot water to bathe in. He came back with a blanket to drape over the bars, and before he left, he gave a wink and a smile, laughing as he walked away.

Whisper rolled her eyes and slowly peeled off her stinky clothes that had been stuck to her skin from sweat and grime, and she sighed heavily as she lowered herself in the water. Wait. One thing wrong. She slapped her head. No soap or anything.

"Oh! Whisper! I forgot soap!" She heard Tekachi yell as he came towards the cell.

"No, wait!" Whisper yelled. "Just throw it in!"

"M'lady, I am not a peeping tom. You won't have to worry about tha-t" he left off as he 'accidentally' tripped and landed against the cage, undoing the blanket and having the blanket fall all over him.

Whisper took the chance. She jumped out of the tub and put on her clothes in less than half a minute. She walked to the side and landed a punch at Tekachi who had just taken the blanket off his head.

Tekachi growled at her from the ground. "It was an accident!"

"A warrior like you, being clumsy like that?" she yelled in defense.

Tekachi jumped up and threw the blanket against the cell. "You know what? I've been trying to be kind! But you keep throwing it up in my face! You need to learn how to be kinder!"

Whisper took a step back. "I'm… I'm sorry." She was a little taken aback at his sudden outburst.

Tekachi turned on his heels. "If you want to do everything by yourself, fine. I don't care anymore. I still don't see why my father wanted to kidnap a brat like you."

Whisper leaned against the cell. "Tekachi, I'm sorry." But it was too late. Tekachi had walked away, leaving her alone.

She sighed and tried unsuccessfully to put the blanket up several times. She was about to give up when she barely got it. She climbed back now into the semi cold water and used the soap that Tekachi had dropped to get the grime off, especially for her hair, which was now a darker color than her original hair.

Then the days began to roll by. Days where no Tekachi showed up. Days where a guard came to fill her tub up, to give her rotting bread and stinky water.

A week passed by.

Two weeks.

Three weeks.

Whisper began to have no energy. She couldn't wash herself without having the feeling of faintness. She couldn't stand up for more than five minutes. She couldn't cry anymore. All she could do… was curse at herself. She couldn't do anything. She was now almost half her weight, and a cough would plague her during the night, and it eventually became a cough every minute. Her stomach hurt.

She didn't want to die this way. She thought for sure that Tekachi would come back. She even had thought that Tekachi's father would leave her like this.

She felt like she was going insane. The guard wasn't even bothering to notice her dying… rotting in the corner.

This was all happening too fast… yet too slow. She couldn't explain it. She hadn't even thought she could lose so much in… three weeks? She had lost count.

She heard the door slightly open. She didn't even bother to turn and look. Probably just the guard coming to take her slop buckets away… even though it didn't need any dumping. She heard a mumble of words, or curses, and the cell door crept open with a loud noise.

"Whisper?" she heard a voice say. It sounded like Tekachi.

She didn't bother to look. She closed her eyes, and fell asleep from weakness.

It was Tekachi who was standing beside her now. Looking down at a girl who's hair was a dark brown from it being so greasy, a girl who had sunken cheeks and no light in her eyes anymore.

He clenched his fist.

He stooped down and picked the girl up. He gasped at how light she had become.

He gritted his teeth, more angry than he ever had been. Whisper didn't deserve starvation. No. She didn't.

Tekachi rushed with Whisper in his arms to his father's room. He had yet to report to his father about how his quest went, but that didn't matter. He bashed open the door to the study, and walked straight up to his father's desk.

"Father! I demand to know why this girl was basically starving, getting no care down in the cell!" Tekachi seethed at him.

"Oh, my son. How did your quest go? I didn't expect you to be back so soon."

"It seems I wasn't soon enough! I'm gone for three weeks and Lady Vess is starving?"

The father still didn't look up. "The Lady Vess can look after herself."

"What was the reason you made me bring her here in the first place?" Tekachi yelled.

"She's just the bait to get her father over here."

"So you're just going to let her die."

"It is only Lady Vess's decision if she wants to die or live."

"Father…"

"So then, if you care so deeply for the prisoner, I assign you as her keeper. You will watch over her 24/7. Now, are you sure she is asleep?"

Tekachi gazed down painfully at Whisper. He could tell just by looking at her. "She's asleep."

"Good. It will be your job to get Whisper to fall for you. So that she doesn't want to leave. It will place her father in a lot of stress… possibly a weakness will be shown to us."

"Father, that's outrageous!"

"Is it? Or shall I have her just thrown out on the streets, so the dogs or bandits can get to her? You will do as you're told, Tekachi."

"Yes Father," Tekachi whispered.

"And, if you happen to fall for the Lady Vess, and start to protect her and betray us, I, personally, will kill you. And don't expect that if Whisper is rescued that you will be able to go with her. You'll be executed for burning down Edgeville."

"Yes, Father," Tekachi sighed, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Dismissed."

Tekachi slowly made his way out the door and began heading for the servant quarters. He would assign a personal assistant to Whisper to make sure she would be taken care of. When he reached the quarters, he found a young woman around the same age willing to help Vess. He waited for the servant to gather her things and he eventually led her to his part of the castle that he was in charge of.

He laid Whisper down on a bed in his extra room, and turned to the servant. "Make sure she eats and that she gets better right away."

"Yes, Lord Tekachi," the servant said, bowing.

Tekachi turned on his heel and left, more confused than ever.

**Hope you guys liked 8D**


	7. Chapter 7

Whisper struggled to open her eyes and stand up, but her strength gave away. She huddled under the blankets, and then she really did open her eyes. She gawked at the layers of blankets on top of her and the pillows her head was resting on. Sitting up slowly, she pushed the covers off to the side and put her bare feet on the floor. She struggled to lift herself off the bed, and fell back, her legs giving out. She tried to catch her breath, and finally closed her eyes and just lay there, halfway on the bed.

The door opened and footsteps came closer to where Whisper lay. "Now, miss, ya gotta take better care of yerself," a friendly voice greeted her.

Whisper felt a hand rest on her forehead, and she opened her eyes to gaze into a young girl her age. The girl grinned at her and brushed Whispers hair back. The girl had very long black hair and it was very un-kept and unruly, hanging down in front of her face. She had bright green eyes that seemed to never stop sparkling.

"Let's get ya back under the covers, now, miss," the girl said. "I'll bring yer dinner soon."

"…dinner?" Whisper croaked out.

"It'll be good this time, miss, with potatoes 'n gravy, ham, 'n stuff like that. Or I'll just get yer soup for the startin', aye, miss?"

Whisper gave a slight nod of her head and with the help of the girl; she was back under her covers.

The girl went and came back in ten minutes, and she was carrying a tray of steaming soup, and Whisper's stomach growled at just seeing it. The girl set the tray beside the bed and helped Whisper sit up.

"Now, I don't expect ya to feed yerself, so I'll just help, aye?" the girl said and started spoon feeding Whisper.

Whisper didn't mind getting fed this way. She accepted each food gratefully.

"And I also put some medicine in the soup that'll help your cough. It'll calm it down a great deal. You lucky, getting that kind of medicine. Only those kinds available in the Lord's keep."

"Thank you," Whisper said after the girl was done feeding her.

"Thank the Lord Tekachi. He's the one who got you from that dark cell where only demons should go."

"Why would he…?"

"That's just the Lord Tekachi, miss. He's kind to everyone here, even though we know and he knows that he can do evil deeds. But what me thinkin', is that its just his father's commands, yessir."

Whisper shook her head. "If he's so against it, he shouldn't do it."

"You don't know the Master Tekachi, miss. Nobody can escape under him. Lord Tekachi learned that many years ago."

"What happened?"

The girl looked around. "Me best not tell you. Only if the Lord Tekachi wants to tell you."

"Then how do you know?"

The girl gave a sad smile. "I knew people that helped him. They were hunted out and killed after the Master found out."

"What?"

"Shh… just rest, miss."

"What's your name?" Whisper asked, not wanting to stop talking.

"Meggan, miss. I know yers is Whisper, and I…" Meggan was cut off by Whisper's coughing. "Ack, there I go letting the sickie talk to much again. Go to sleep, miss, 'n let the medicine work its miracle."

Whisper nodded and laid back, falling asleep in less than a minute.

Meggan got up and took the tray out, closing the door silently. She bowed suddenly when she noticed Lord Tekachi coming down the hall. He nodded to her and kept walking.

"I wouldn't go visitin' the miss, Lord Tekachi," Meggan warned him. "She's asleepin' now."

"She was awake?" Tekachi said, turning to her.

"Aye. I gave her some of the medicine you gave me. She'll take about a week to regain her energy. I also felt a light touch of a fever, so I'll have to watch over that."

"That's good," Tekachi said and turned to walk away again.

"Um, Lord Tekachi…!"

Tekachi sighed. "Just call me Tekachi, please."

"I can't do that, Lord Tekachi. Not proper. Anyways… I wanna ask why the miss is here. She not from around here."

Meggan noticed that Tekachi's shoulders slumped. "That's a good question. A good question," he said quietly and walked away.

Meggan sighed sadly and went the opposite direction.

Whisper woke up many times, Meggan always there to take care of her and help her until she regained her strength. Meggan was the only company she saw, though once or twice, she saw Tekachi pass by her door, though Tekachi would never look towards her direction.

Meggan came in the following week holding a long white and red dress. She set it on the bed and woke Whisper who was taking one of her day naps. Whisper grinned at Meggan, but looked confusedly at the dress. "What's that for?" she asked.

"The Lord Tekachi said you should wear this. He said since yer healthy enough, that you should join him for dinner tonight."

"What?"

"Ya heard me, miss. Now, its time for you to get clean. It's tiring to take care of one so dirty," Meggan grinned at her. "Of course, yer planning on goin', right?"

"I guess I could," Whisper said quietly. "I need to thank him for getting me out of that cell."

Meggan beamed at her. "Yay! Let's get ya all cleaned then!"

Whisper smiled and clambered out of bed, tugging off the torn and ripped clothes she had been wearing. She was surprised to find her skin was a shade darker. She hadn't realized how much grime had piled up. She didn't realize how bad she had smelled either.

"Phew, miss, and I though I could smell bad," Meggan laughed.

Whisper ignored her laughing and sat in the tub, practically grinning. She grabbed the soap and started rubbing at her arms and legs. After about ten minutes of scrubbing, they were all sparkly clean, and she started to wash the rest of herself, but not before gasping at how skinny she was. That was another thing she realized.

"'n that's another thing I'm not jealous of, miss," Meggan spoke as she was washing Whisper's hair. "Yer so skinny I was afraid I couldn't fatten ya up."

"I hadn't realized how skinny I had gotten," Whisper said, speaking her mind. "I've never felt my ribs protrude this much."

"'n ya don't worry about that, miss. I'll fatten ya up in no time, that I will."

Whisper grinned up at her. "I'm sure you will."

"Today will be one of the starts. Tekachi will probably have a feast."

"Really?"

"Most likely. It's not often that he eats at a table. He'll go grab snacks from the kitchen and that'll be his dinner."

"That's not healthy."

Meggan nodded, and then stopped getting the soap out of Whisper's hair. "Uh oh," she murmured.

"What?"

Meggan got up and made sure the door was locked. She walked over to the curtains and shut them, but not before looking around. "Boys."

"What!?"

"Tekachi's younger half brother. He's the worst peeping tom you'll ever see. Let's just say he takes after Lord Tekachi."

"But Tekachi said he wasn't…"

Meggan grinned, and then shrugged. "The Lord Tekachi would always get into tons of trouble. He would hang out with the kids from the town when he was younger…"

Whisper didn't feel so comfortable anymore.

"But don't you worry, miss, Lord Tekachi has probably grown out of that."

Whisper still wouldn't believe it.

There was a knock at the door. Meggan walked over. "Who is it?"

A younger version of Tekachi's voice spoke. "This is Vess's room, right?"

"What if it was?" Meggan said, getting angry that it was the boy.

"I wanna meet her! Tekachi won't stop talking about hemmphh!" the boy stopped talking as it sounded like something was clamped over his mouth. The sound of feet being dragged could be heard very loudly from where Whisper was.

Meggan laughed and went over to continue washing Whisper's hair.

It took more than an hour to finally get Whisper out of the once warm tub. She dried off and brushed her hair out that was getting to be very long. She was glad to see the color it once was. She put on the dress with the help of Meggan, who tied the strings in the back. Whisper had not worn such a nice dress since the King's birthday party. The dress had a V shaped neck, coming just below her clavicles. The sleeves ran down to the floor, being embroidered with little shapes of flowers of deep red color. The torso was filled with little flower shapes of roses, and down to the tip of the dress it also ran. It made the dress looked like it turned from white on the torso down to a dark red on the tip.

Whisper thought it was gorgeous.

Meggan, meanwhile, was braiding Whisper's hair into one braid that ran down her back. She left two strips of hair run down both sides of her face. She placed a little headband made of a small band that had a small diamond tiara that rested on her forehead. The headband also had a design of roses made of metal that ran down the side of her face along her hair. It also wound with the braid.

"You overdid yourself, Meggan," Whisper said, gasping at her reflection.

"Yes. It distracts stares from your sunken cheekbones, miss," grinned Meggan.

Whisper clenched the side of her face. "Are they really that bad?"

Meggan laughed. "No."

Whisper smiled, thankful. But she turned back to her reflection. "Isn't this a bit overdoing it, though? Come on, Meggan, it is just a dinner."

Meggan's smile faded. "I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry, miss, its also a dinner with Tekachi's father."

Whisper stood up suddenly. "What?"

Meggan sat down on the bed, nodding. "He requested a dinner with you and Tekachi."

"Why? For all I know, he didn't care whether I died or lived."

"I don't know, miss. The Master has some plan up his sleeve. I just don't know, miss. I'm sorry. I know how scary the Master can be," Meggan said, her voice wavering.

Whisper sat down and put a hand on Meggan's shoulder. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing, nothing to me, miss. It's… just what he does to the people of this village. It's… so hard to live here, in this castle."

Whisper nodded. "I understand." She took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

Meggan got up. "Follow me then," her voice back to normal.

She led Whisper out of the bedroom for the first time, taking her into a long hall of stone statues of random men and women. There were many pictures of grinning people and many weapons hung up for display. Finally they came to a large door made from thick oak. It had engraved symbols of two swords locked against each other.

"This is the dining room," Meggan said. "I leave you here."

Whisper nodded. "Thank you so much, Meggan. For taking care of me, and all."

"Hey, I'm still not done," Meggan grinned. "Still have to fatten ya up. I'll see you later, miss." Meggan turned and slipped away quietly.

Whisper turned to the door. _Curses. Now I'm alone, and Tekachi and his father are probably waiting for me on the other side. _She grasped the door handle, then let go. _I'm not ready for this. I can't do this. It's gonna end up to be a battle or something in there. It'll be hard to attack in this dress. Maybe that's one reason why they wanted me to wear it. _She sighed and opened the door. She peered in, and sure enough, Tekachi and his father sat at the table.

"And there she is! Lady Vess!" the father laughed, though not friendly. He walked over and reached out to take her hand.

Whisper stepped back. She shook her head.

The father scowled and took her hand anyways, placing a kiss on it.

Whisper tried not to flinch.

Master Tekachi took her arm and led her to the table. Whisper looked to the ground while she was being walked over. She tried to avoid Tekachi's gaze. She sat down and stared at her plate.

"Lady Vess, you're as beautiful as your mother," Master Tekachi drawled on.

Whisper picked up her fork and stabbed the little tomato, putting it all in her mouth.

"Now, what do you think of my kingdom? You love it, don't you?"

Whisper nodded, trying to get the conversation over with.

Master Tekachi growled at her. "You're not very responsive, aren't you? Your mother was much better."

"My mother was the greatest women out there," Whisper said definitely. "I don't expect to live up to her."

"Ah, I guess you wouldn't."

Whisper kept on at eating her meal.

"Lady Vess, I am very glad to see that you are well," Tekachi said to her.

She glanced up to him and gave a small smile. "Yes. I want to thank you for having someone take care of me."

"It's no problem."

Master Tekachi stood up. "I just realized I have some business to do. Lady Vess, I grant you permission to walk around the castle, but with Tekachi or a guard present. Now, I will request later that you visit my office. I want answers soon about your father, Lady Vess."

Whisper smiled up at him, though it was cold. "I shall not say anything about my father."

He laughed. "I'm sure. You, Lady Vess, just don't know anything yet," he warned her and walked out, slamming the door.

Whisper began to fiddle around with her food. _What would happen if I didn't give him answers? What would he do to me?_

Tekachi cleared his throat. "Lady Vess, is everything alright with you?"

"I'm fine," Whisper lied.

Tekachi sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to end up like that."

"You mean with getting locked down in the cell for three weeks with soggy and bread and hardly any water?"

"Yes. My father… he sent me out on a quest that day I left you. I tried to return home as quickly as I could."

"What did you do?"

"What my father wanted me to do."

"You didn't kidnap any other women from their homes, did you?" Whisper growled at him.

"No. We… we did something that I don't want to do again."

"What?"

Tekachi put his arms on the tables and rested his head in his hands. "I'm using the voice that means _I don't want to talk about it._" He grinned at her.

"Oh! I'm sorry…" Whisper mumbled.

"Though I will say it was nothing like… your village."

_Thank God. _"What happened to the cold Tekachi, the one who kidnapped me from the village?"

Tekachi sighed. "That's the side of me that's afraid to speak out against my father."

"So you'll do anything to not get in trouble," Whisper pointed out. "You had the chance to escape once you reached Edgeville!"

He shook his head. "My father has tons of men who work for him. Evil men. I was being watched the whole time, Whisper."

_He used my name… Not evilly. _"Are we being watched now?"

He laughed. "No, you don't have to worry about that."

"Tekachi, if I was able to escape…"

"Out of the question," he said sternly.

"But…"

Tekachi stood up and placed a fist hard on the table. "That is impossible. Even if you do escape, my father will hunt you down personally and kill you, or worse."

"What's worse then death?"

"Torture. And it's worse being a woman, Whisper."

"What, your dad isn't some sort of…"

"Maybe. You just don't want to know," Tekachi said quietly. He turned to leave. "I'm done here. I'll escort you back to your room."

"Fine," Whisper said, getting up. She walked over to Tekachi, who held out his arm. She slipped her arm through, not trying to get too close.

"I'm not going to bite, you know," he said.

"I'm sorry. I'm still a little uptight about…"

"I know. Uptight about getting kidnapped."

Whisper gave a slight giggle. "You're catching on!"

Tekachi grinned down at her.

"Tekachi!" the boy from before screamed behind them. "You're being with Vess!"

"That I am, though just escorting her to her room."

The boy walked up to Whisper and took her other arm. "Will you marry me?"

Whisper laughed at the boy about two feet shorter than her. "When you're older, I might consider it."

"Great!"

"Lady Vess, this is my half brother, Will," Tekachi said, scowling at the boy who scowled back.

"Do you two not get along?" Whisper asked.

"Well, we do, just not now. He's annoyed 'cause I'm annoying you two. But he stole my girl, what could I do?"

"I didn't steal…"

"You kidnapped her, loser!"

"I didn't…"

"You did too!"

"Will. Hold your tongue."

"Ok, I'm holding it. Now what?"

"Will!"

Will laughed and let go of his tongue. He ran ahead and waved. "I'll see you two later, then! Oh, and Whisper?"

"Yes?" she responded.

"You're beautiful! With and without your clothes!"

Whisper blushed and growled at Will who had ran away.

Tekachi sighed. "I'm sorry about my idiot brother."

"He takes after you, ne?"

"What…?" Tekachi said. "I didn't mean to see you in the tub a few weeks ago…!"

"So you DID see me?" Whisper yelled at him, blushing even more.

Tekachi reddened. "Well…"

Whisper turned around and held her face her hands, redder then ever.

"I'm sorry…"

Whisper walked into her room and shut the door. She leaned against the door and shrank to the ground. She heard Tekachi walk away and leaned her head back. Ack, she couldn't be more embarrassed…

But…

She closed her eyes and gave a small smile.

**Will, you little devil XD **

**Ok!**

**Ready for another Oh Dear? It won't be written by me, but by Otaku93. **

**What will it be about? Their children! Not only Aay's and Patrick's, but whoever else was in the Oh Dear stories. (To many to count lol) **

**Say if you will want this! AYE or NAY. I wanna see it : D So AYE for me!**

**It will be sort of like an AU.**

**Ttyl till the next OD:AotN, or Hidden Away chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Blarg!**

Whisper gulped down the rest of her soup, ignoring the pain that shot down her throat from how it was. Wiping her mouth, she stood up and walked over to the mirror. She started to brush her hair with the brush that Meggan had left her, kind girl, that Meggan.

She began to hum a tune to her favorite song. She stopped when she heard Meggan come in.

"In a happy mood, ain't we, miss?" Meggan, holding a pair of towels, grinned at her.

"I guess you could say that."

Meggan sat the towels on the bed. "That's good, after all ya been through."

Whisper nodded slightly. She turned to Meggan. "Am I allowed to wander the castle?"

"Hmm…, me think so. I'll have to ask Lord Tekachi about that, though."

Whisper sighed and went back to brushing her hair.

"You really wanna get out, doncha?" Meggan said quietly.

"I want to see my father again," Whisper responded. She turned back to Meggan with a pleading look in her eyes. "Isn't there any hope of escaping?"

Meggan shook her head and sighed sadly. "Miss Vess, there is no hope. You would get caught and executed. I can't let that happen," she finished, shaking her head. "Anyways, lets get a bath started. I'll have my friend haul in some water."

"What friend?" Whisper asked, and then grinned when she saw a slight blush appear on Meggan's face.

"His name is Brand. He's been my friend since forever."

"Just a friend?"

"Just a friend," Meggan confirmed, nodding her head vigorously. She walked out with not another word. She closed the door and Whisper heard her footsteps fade away.

Whisper sighed and started to put her hair into a braid.

About ten minutes later, she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to find a young man staring at her, holding to buckets of hot water. "You must be Brand, am I correct?" Whisper asked.

"Aye, Miss Vess," the man nodded.

Whisper let him pass. She could see why Meggan liked him. He had soft looking hair that looked like a light blue. His hair was tied back into a long ponytail. His eyes were wide and boyish like, as his smile. He nodded to Whisper as he left to get more water.

Another five minutes passed and the tub was filled. Whisper thanked Brand as he left, and she walked to the tub.

It had been two days since the dinner with Tekachi and his father. Tekachi hadn't come back to see Whisper, and she was afraid she might have scared him off. Whisper didn't want to ponder of the thought of Tekachi. She didn't want to worry about anything.

She made up her mind. She was going to come up with an escape plan, so great, that no one would be able to get her.

She pondered on _that_ while soaking in the tub.

**A/N: IT'S SNOWING!**

Whisper sank deeper into the water, closing her eyes, forming the plan.

**A/N:GASPS: THE AUTHOR CANNOT SEE IF IT IS STILL SNOWING!! **

She sighed and decided then and right there that she would need to know the layout of the castle. She should even try to get Tekachi to let her walk around.

**A/N:dies because she can't see any snow coming down:**

It was now an hour after her bath, and she felt all clean and ready to move. Meggan still hadn't come back, so she decided to just go out on her own. She walked over to the door and slowly creaked it open, peering right and left. No one.

She walked out.

Whisper had really no idea where she was going. She went through different halls, up stairs and down stairs, through doors that led to other doors, and finally, she reached a nice, cozy room that had a fireplace and brown, worn out couch.

Well, this is lovely, she thought, as she warmed her hands by the fire. There weren't much in the room except for the fireplace and a few books that lay around the room. After warming her hands, she went to go look at the books. She found a small brown book made of leather that had no title on it. She opened the book to find blank pages, and torn ones at that.

Hmm… was this some sort of diary, or something? She wondered.

She heard a faint sound of footsteps, and she dropped the book and hid behind the couch. She had a feeling that she shouldn't have been there. When the door opened, she looked around the couch a tad bit and stared directly into the face of Tekachi… who was, of course, kneeling down right in front of her.

"Erk…" Whisper squeaked and fell back.

Tekachi gritted his teeth. "There you are. When Meggan found you gone from your room, she had the whole castle in an uproar. Everyone is looking for you."

"…"  
"And you've no right to go around without permission."

"But I can't stay locked up in that room forever!"

"Yes. Fine. I thought we discussed this earlier. You'll have Meggan escort you around."

"But is there, um, anyone else?"

"… There is Meggan's friend Brand, around your age, and my brother Will. Though… you might not want Will to escort you around. He can be rather… indecent, at times."

"Alright…"

Tekachi grabbed her arm, helping her up. "Follow me. I'll lead you back to your room."

Whisper nodded and followed silently. But then she broke the silence. "How old are you?"

"What? Why do you need to know?" Tekachi growled.

"You don't look much older than me, but you keep referring to Meggan who is around my age," she pointed out.

Tekachi sighed. "I'm twenty one."

"You're older than I expected."

"Is that a compliment or a insult?"

"Both."

Tekachi sighed and opened the door to Whisper's room, where they had just arrived.

"Stay here until Meggan comes back. If you do not stay, I will personally lock you down back in the cell."

Whisper panicked. Would he really do that? She nodded her head and walked passed Tekachi, trying to stop the tears. She hadn't thought that he would think of putting her back down in the cell. She rubbed her eyes. She had forgotten that Tekachi is still the son of an evil man. She couldn't underestimate him.

Tekachi sighed again, seeing Whisper's shaking shoulders. "I'm sorry. I won't lock you back in the cell. Just, please, behave yourself."

Whisper nodded and he closed the door.

Tekachi went to go find Meggan to tell her that Whisper had been found. He found her in the library practically in tears, and when he told her she bolted out of the room. He could imagine the scolding that the girl would get. He walked out of the library and into his room.

His training room. The room that held all his swords and armor. Of course, what else would a training room hold?

He picked up his favorite blade. It wasn't a long blade, but it wasn't short either. At the end of the blade was engraved a symbol he couldn't read, but he could guess what it meant. Death.

His father had told that to him when he had given the sword to him. From right when he felt the touch of the handle go into his hand, Tekachi felt like the sword had been made just for him… but yet, he hated the fact that 'Death' was carved into it.

The sword had also been his mother's, until her death. He didn't quite remember her at all, except that he knew she had cared for him. He could still feel her kindness and warmth flow around him. He had heard she had been killed in a battle seventeen years ago. The battle was pointless, his father said. The fact that Tekachi's mother worked with a woman named Myla was just a death wish. Myla used pawns left and right, and his mother was just another pawn.

He did hear that his mother had done a good fight against the enemy. The enemy known as Aay Black, a fearsome warrior that most feared, even though she was just a woman. Though that Black woman killed his mother, and Tekachi wouldn't forgive that. It had made his father even crueler, more tempered.

So the Silent Warriors were hidden away. To brew an army.

Though the army was still in the making, elite warriors, like himself, were brought up to do evil deeds like capturing that Vess girl. He had also learned that the Blacks had a child, and he had argued that it might be better to capture that child, even though he didn't want to capture at all. But his heart told him not to forgive the Black family. Not for ridding him of his mother.

He knew what he was thinking was wrong. He was getting torn in two. He wanted to free Vess and get her away from here, but he wanted, needed, and explanation, if all, from that Black woman.

It would release him from the pain in his heart.

Tekachi swung his sword to the left and to the right, fighting invisible foes. This 'Death' sword would be the death of him… he knew it. He couldn't explain how, but he did.

He aimed the sword at a dummy hanging down by a rope, and cut it in half, not making a sound. He took a step back and leaned back against the wall.

Jeez.

Why did that Vess girl had to be brought here? Something about her made him feel… different inside.

His father asked for him to make Vess fall in love with him.

Tekachi smirked. What is 'love?'

He knew what hate meant. Hate against the enemies. Hate them for making us live out here. Hate them. Hate them. Fight. Fight until your last breath.

Make the enemies life hell.

That was his father's view of hate.

For his own… he hated the enemy who killed his mother.

He looked at his sword and gripped it tightly, his knuckles white. Living here had made his heart hard. And yet, he could feel it soften. Just by looking at Whisper, a girl who's been kidnapped and seems to _almost trust _him, after all that he's done to her.

He couldn't explain it.

He looked at his hand and made a fist. Even if he made the Lady Vess to fall in love with him… he couldn't live without loving her back. And he couldn't afford that. She would eventually soften his heart so he would become weaker, but he would never be able to forget the lives he has taken.

The lives he can't bring back.

The lives… of people, who he can never ask for their forgiveness.

Tekachi threw his sword the ground and slid to the ground, looking at his hands.

He couldn't get rid of the blood.

It would stain him for the rest of his life.

… He was sure of it.

**:cough: **

**well. It's sorta snowing, or the snow is just very small.**

**:yawn: I'm tired, but I'm gonna continue writing the next chapter… or maybe not…**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ORLANDO BLOOM:huggles a poster him to death:**

**(written on 1/13/07)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Blarg? **

"I want everyone on their horses immediately! No buts, no whining! It's near the middle of the night, but our home was burned down to the ground! Our families were killed, murdered right before most of your eyes!" the man shouting this was riding around on his horse, going back and forth. His shoulders were slumped and his face bore a weary expression.

"Yes sir!" the men answered back.

"Try to find survivors!" the man shouted. He turned to a woman next to him. "Lady Black, I have something to discuss with you." The woman nodded him and followed him to the front of the line.

The man, who was Captain Vess, Captain of the King's army, just found out that his home Edgeville had been burned to the ground. Men and children had come running into Varrock, carrying what little possession they were able to save, screaming that people were getting slaughtered. The news quickly reached the army, and now they were riding hard to Edgeville.

"What did you want to ask me, Captain?" the Lady Black asked.

"You discussed with us a long time ago about a clan starting to getting created. What was the name of it?" the captain asked.

"The Silent Warriors," confirmed the Lady.

The Captain nodded, deep in thought. "I heard from a civilian that called them the Silent Warriors."

The Lady's eyes looked pained. "Not another pointless clan."

"Mother!"

The Lady turned back to see her son run to her. "Sliver, you coming?"

"Aye. I have to see if Whisper is alright!" Sliver responded, his voice full of worry.

"What?" the Captain roared out. "I thought Whisper was going to stay with her friend Kag!"

Kag, who just came up, shook her head. "Whisper went home."

Captain Vess swore, and then urged his horse even faster.

"Lady Aay, where's your husband?" Kag asked.

"Patrick's in Fallador right now," Aay sighed. "No doubt he's going over there this very minute."

"Look!" Sliver said, pointing ahead. They could start to see the flames and smoke pour out into the sky. The flames had calmed down a little, but it would still be a fight to put it all out.

"Listen, men! I want a survivor count and a list whose lives were lost," Captain Vess said, shouting to his men. "Start by putting out the fire! Make a line!" Captain Vess jumped down off his horse and ran to the nearest well to help get it started. "Kag! Sliver! It's your job to find Whisper!" he yelled, trying to make his voice heard over the flames.

"Aye!" Kag and Sliver both yelled. They urged their horses to the house. Once they reached around the corner, they both stopped their horses and gasped.

Kag jumped off and ran to the house collapsing in flames. "Whisper!" she screamed, tears pouring down her face.

Sliver held her back from going inside the house. He knew it would be pointless for her to go in. "Kag! Kag! Get a hold of yourself!"  
"But… but…" she sobbed out.

"Whisper couldn't die from that! Look, the door is wide open! She must be still alive. Let's search for her!" Sliver said, trying to calm her.

Kag slowly nodded, then started searching around. Sliver did the same, ignoring the flames and the smoke. They eventually had to put scarves around their mouths to not inhale some of the smoke. They didn't find much. Kag puked a few times from the gory scene of children lying dead upon the ground, stabbed to death, their lifeless eyes staring straight through them. Sliver had to look away, his stomach twisting and turning. His eyes caught a glimmer of metal shimmering on the ground. He ran over and picked it up, recognizing Whisper's name engraved in the sword. He clenched it tightly and gazed at the blood stained tip.

_Whisper…_

He looked at the ground and saw the footwork of a fight engraved into the ground. He recognized steps that would belong to a foot the size of Whispers, and a size that belonged to a tall man or woman. Blood was hardly visible, showing that Whisper and the men must have been evenly matched. He then came upon the impression in the ground that a body had collapsed to the ground, and then dragged off, and then it stopped. A cart's wheel started where she had been dropped. It led into the darkness. The wilderness.

He clenched the sword and tossed it to the ground, yelling in rage. Kag ran over to Sliver who began yelling that Whisper had been kidnapped. Kag, with even more tears pouring out, pulled him into her arms. She cried into his shoulder, while he was clenching her arms in anger. Whisper was kidnapped. Some of his friends were dead. He'd seen them earlier. But… he couldn't believe it. He just couldn't.

"Sliver, we have to tell the Captain," Kag whispered.

"I know," he replied hoarsely.

Kag grabbed his hand and pulled him toward where Captain Vess was. The Captain was getting water out of the well, filling the bucket, and passing it on to the next man. He stopped when he saw Kag and Sliver coming. His shoulders slumped and he walked towards them. He knew it couldn't be good.

_Whisper…_

"Whisper's been kidnapped," Sliver said before the Captain could say anything.

The Captain put his hands on both of their shoulders. He bent his head low. "First my wife, then my daughter," they heard him mumble. He looked up. They could clearly see his eyes about to release the tears. "I bet I know who his behind this."

"The Silent Warriors?" Kag asked.

The Captain nodded. "That, and a man by the name Tekachi. Tekachi Jet. A man so cruel…"

"How do you know it was him?" Sliver asked, not knowing whom this man was.

The Captain turned away. "That man captured Whisper's mother not fifteen years ago."

"What?" Sliver and Kag both gasped. "I never knew that."

"You wouldn't. Neither does Whisper. Whisper had been born, and then two years later, that man captured my wife," the Captain's shoulders shook. "We found her two years later, starving and barely alive. She had escaped, though it was a near miracle that she had. She would not have been able to do it without some of the peoples help over there."

Kag held a hand over her mouth, still aghast.

"I never told Whisper this, but she has a half-brother. A boy almost a young man now. My wife had born Tekachi a son," the Captain whispered.

"He… he raped her?" Sliver asked.

The Captain looked at him. "I don't want to think that. But I don't want to think she gave herself willingly to him. So, I don't know what to think."

"Why didn't she bring her son when she escaped?" Kag asked quietly.

"She had. But the evil men soon caught up with her and stole her son away. She was the only one able to escape. If she were to be captured, she would be executed, and she knew that wouldn't serve any purpose. She did have a daughter to raise," the Captain responded.

Kag and Sliver nodded, taking this all in. They'd never would have guessed that.

"I wouldn't have usually let this all out. But you might need to know this history. If I don't get to tell Whisper, you do it."

"But…"

"Get back to your parents, Sliver. Sir Black just arrived around thirty minutes ago with the White Knights. I'm going to discuss with them about this. We'll get a team together, and follow the men who kidnapped my daughter," the Captain growled and walked off.

Sliver headed back to his father, saying goodbye to Kag who went with the Captain. He nodded to his mother who was tying her still bright blonde hair back and getting back to shoveling the dirt away from a door. His father looked at him with sad, aged eyes.

Patrick had three fingers that were paralyzed, making him unable to hold a sword properly. He had already known how to fight with his left, but he had been better with his right. The fingers had been paralyzed when Sliver was just but five years old, in a fight against a woman who had run a sword right through Aay's stomach, in such a way that she would never be able to bare children ever again.

The woman also killed the child within her.

Patrick, unable to forgive the woman, sought her out and eventually killed her. He came back with a paralyzed hand and scar running from the right side of his face all the way down his back to his waist. It nearly damaged his spine.

Sliver still remembered how angry his father had been. And how heartbroken his mother had been. She had been hardly able to take care of herself. He often had to go to the Lady Otaku's house or stay with Kid Mental, who he usually stayed with out on the streets when he had fought with his parents.

Sliver smiled slightly at the memories. He had been torn by how his parents had turned so depressed and broken. And during his young teenage years, he revolted against his parents, hanging out with his 'buddies' out on the streets.

Then he met Whisper and Kag.

They drag him out of his 'cool' days and brought him back to his parents, who had cried when they saw him. He had been running from them for years, since he was ten. Before he had ran, he had ignored his parents, leaving for his friends houses. He didn't care if his father and mother were getting better now.

He regretted that he neglected them for those years, adding even more pain to their sorrow of losing their unborn child.

And now, he would repay Whisper by rescuing her.

_Whisper…_

**Oh Dear: Sliver's Story will be coming out soon and will be written about me. It will be short, lasting only around five chapters, (I hope), and you'll learn more about Patrick and Aay's ordeal with that woman.**

**Edit: 1/16 I finished writing Sliver's story! 7 chapters haha. WELL… it's around… 1,500 to 1,900 words each. One is around 2,000. XP I'm getting worse. I like writing them around 2000, but oh well. Took 2 days to finish writing it. Well, a day in the middle, but I didn't do anything on that day.**

**The reason why these are so late at getting posted is because I don't have internet at my mom's house yet. I have to wait until I get back to my dad's. ;)**

**Enjoy? **

**O, btw, it snowed about ¼ inch. :laughing and sobbing at the same time. Very messy:**

**Edit: 1/16 it did snow:grins: 3 inches out there right now. School cancelled:celebrates: **


	10. Chapter 10

**Oh, darnit! I missed the date! 1/17 was when I started writing Oh Dear. I was going to say on that day it's been a year, and go yay:cries:**

**Oh! AND… you dear readers… STOP ASSUMING so much. Let the story fold out, alrighty? ;)**

A pounding came upon Whisper's door, causing her to jump a little and drop her book that she was oh so into. She scowled at her lost page and picked up the book and looking for the page while walking to the door. She opened it and growled, "You made me lost my reading page."

Will, who was standing right in front of her, grinned. "I was told to escort you to a dinner."

"With whom?" Whisper asked, looking for her page again.

"My father," Will said quickly.

Whisper stopped looking for her page and looked up, stricken. "Another dinner, with him?"

Will howled with laughter. "You really do hate him! I was kidding. I just wanted to see your reaction!"

Whisper snapped her book shut, not minding about the lost page anymore. "That wasn't funny."

The boy wiped his eyes and flung his hair back away from his eyes. "I'm sorry. Anyways, there really is no dinner. I'm just here to show you around, m'lady."

"Really, now?" Whisper responded, skeptical.

"Mhmm. You've been stuck in this room for so long. So today, I have declared to myself that I will show you every trick there is to this side of the castle."

"Every… trick?" Whisper asked, slowly.

Will nodded, grinning. He leaned in close. "You can't stay here forever. I know you must be forming some plan."

"Well, considering I haven't really been around, I don't have any plan right now," Whisper said quietly to him.

Will grabbed her hand. "That's fine. You can get started today. First, we will visit Brand down in the servants' quarters. He's usually the stable boy down there."

"Meggan's friend, right?"

"Yup."

Whisper followed Will for awhile, passing in halls she hadn't seen before. _Will was Tekachi's half brother, right? So… _"Um… so you are Tekachi's half brother, right?" Whisper asked.

"Yeah," Will responded, a little quiet.

"Who's your mother?" Whisper said quietly, speaking the questions on her mind.

Will glanced back at her and put his arms behind his head. "Dunno. My father never spoke about her. All I know is that she ran away around a year after I was born."

"Who is Tekachi's mother, then?"

"I dunno that either. All I know is that she died in a war with Varrock near seventeen years ago. If you ask Tekachi about her, I doubt you'll get anything. He's… sort of… angry about his mother's death. Says it shouldn't have happened…" Will said, sighing.

"Who was she killed by?"

Will peered back at her. "Aren't you asking a lot of questions?"

Whisper nodded. "But… I feel like I need to know."

"Fine. I don't really care. But I don't really know who killed her either."

"My father told me once of an epic battle of a heroine in Varrock…" Whisper started saying, but was interrupted by Will.

"The heroine… meaning… the Lady Aay?"

"Aye. The one who killed Myla."

"Myla… that…" Will sighed. "The woman who led the pointless army into that fight. Leading Tekachi's mother to her death. My father… knew it was pointless. That's why he didn't fight."

Whisper nodded, and then continued speaking. "The Lady Aay fought against one particular woman right before the battle with Myla. It took a lot out of Lady Aay, but she eventually defeated the woman. Though it's also said that the woman died of a head injury in the forehead."

"You better… you better speak with Tekachi about this," Will murmured.

She shook her head. "I don't know Tekachi. I don't know what he'll do if he discovers that the Lady Aay might be responsible."

"You're right… Tekachi may have a soft heart… but that part of him; about his mother… he can't forget. He always yearned for motherly guidance when he was younger. He… he never got it."

Whisper decided to break the sullen mood hanging in the air and ask of other things. "Are we almost there?"

"What, you haven't that we stopped walking and are standing in front of a huge door? Yes, we're there. The kitchen is on the other side of this door. You best… cover your nose."

"Why?"

Will grinned. "Meggan's in charge of cooking today. It'll stink like hell…"

"She can't be all that bad…" Whisper defended Meggan and opened the door. Her eyes watered and she covered her mouth.

She saw Brand pass by her carrying a bucket of peeled onions. He walked out a door, and Meggan soon followed. "Brand! Don't ya throw those away! I need those to cook!"

"No you don't! You've used way too many onions, Meggan! I'm tossing them out. Go back to stirring the stew! It's overflowing!" Brand responded, the sound of onions getting dumped sounding loudly in the echoing room.

"Ack! The Lady Vess is here!" Meggan yelled. She walked up to Whisper. "It's my first time cookin' in months! They won't let me cook often, for some reason."

Whisper stared at her through watering eyes. "I see that."

Meggan grinned and turned Whisper around. "You'll be amazed by tonight, miss. Now, ya better leave. It's a mess here. Now, Will, ya hear? Show her the library or something. Or the study."

Will grabbed Whisper's wrist and pulled her out, the door shutting behind them. He grinned at her and let go of her wrist. "Now, how was that?"

"I hadn't known they operated like that," Whisper coughed out, eyes still watering on the smell of onions.

"They usually don't. You just got lucky today. Now, let me show you the library. It's full of books… well…" Will pointed to the wall. "Push the wall, first."

"What?" Whisper asked.

"Push the wall. Come on! I'll do it with you," Will said, and walked to the wall. He started pushing, and Whisper followed suit. The wall slowly pushed foreword. "This wall only opens about a foot wide. It pushes back once you stop pushing against it. This is one way of escaping from this side. It leads to a forest area, but you have to be careful of the guards. They are not to be underestimated." They both let go and the wall came slowly back in.

"How many walls are like this?" Whisper asked.

"A lot. It was like this when the Silent Warriors first came here. It's meant for quick escape from the castle, like if it was under invasion," Will said, patting the wall.

"Can you show me more?" Whisper asked.

"Not today. I'll show you one once every single day. You have to be careful. All the guards know about these doors, so they check them every single day. To see one that's not partially all the way closed once or twice in a day isn't that rare, me using them often. The servants use them a lot too."

Whisper shivered. "It's going to take a lot of plans to escape."

Will nodded and leaned against the wall. He covered his face with his arm, and then looked up to Whisper, a serious look on his face. "… if you escape, take me with you."

"Will…"

"I want to see my mother," he whispered back, his voice clenched tight. "I know she escaped. I know escape is possible around here. We just need to find the right way." He looked pleadingly at Whisper. "Please."

Whisper put her hand on his head. "Alright, Will. If I escape, I won't escape alone."

Will grinned. He stood up and pointed down the hall. "The library is just down here."

Whisper nodded. She realized that he sounded mature than he looked. In fact, he didn't look that young as she thought he was. His voice was just a little lighter than Tekachi's and he already had well shaped muscles. _So… how old was he?_ Whisper asked him her thought.

"15, and still growing!" Will grinned back at her.

"… you're… short, for your age," Whisper said, knowing that what he said was true.

Will growled at her. "Mention that again, Whisper, and I'll leave you right here lost in this room!"

She laughed and held up her arms. "I'm sorry. Please, continue."

Will huffed and continued walking. Whisper followed silently, not having any questions to say.

"Do you like reading?" Will asked.

Whisper nodded. "It's always been fun."

"Do you ever feel like… you're in a storybook of your own? That your life is written down, and your fate is at the end of the pages?" Will asked suddenly.

Whisper pondered on this. "Well, I think that you write down you life as you go. The end of the book is determined by your actions. The end is decided by you."

"But what if… what if you were killed and you weren't planning that?"

"As I said, your life is written as you go… sometimes it just ends with what you never expected."

"Do you really think it's written as you live?" Will asked quietly. "For me, it's like fate. My life is determined for me. I've never seen any hope of escaping this place. But, with you here, it might be possible. I'm not the only one who wants to escape."

"Will… if you dream… like me…" Whisper stopped walking and looked out the window next to her. She looked down at the grass below, blowing free in the wind. She looked up to the clouds and lifted her hands out, as if to grasp the floating mist. "If you dream, you have hope. Hope gives you strength. Hope can fulfill dreams. Sometimes hope can fail us, but the best we can do is trust it. We must never let go of it. It can lead us to things we never thought possible. Hope… dreams. Two strong things. Two things we must have.

"To hope… is to dream. Though, for dreams to take flight… you must spread your wings," Whisper finished.

"What do you dream of, Whisper? I know of escaping here, but what do you really dream of…?"

Whisper gave a small smile. "My dream… is hard to say. My heart has been changing so much. It's… a bit hard to say, really."

Will nodded, understanding.

Whisper turned to the boy. "How about you take me tomorrow? I would like to go back to my room."

He nodded and led her silently to her room. When they arrived there, Will opened the door for Whisper. He looked up at her, and said, "How can I hope, when my hopes keep on getting slashed?"

Whisper leaned against her door. "Many times we are put to the test. Trials. Heartbreak. Love. War. Hate. Despair. In the end, we must still hope, and believe. Remember that, Will."

Will nodded and turned to leave. "Ya know, I never thought of talking to you with things like these. You still seem strong after being dragged a million miles away."

Whisper smiled. "I have to be in order to see my father again. Now, go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Will grinned and waved as he was walking away.

Whisper turned into her room and gasped. "What are you doing in my room?" She yelled at Tekachi who was leaning against the wall.

Tekachi straightened himself and walked over to her. "I was looking for you. Figured it would be easier if I just waited for you."

Whisper crossed her arms.

"I have something to ask of you," he said.

"What is it?" Whisper asked.

"Would you like to go down to the village tomorrow?"

Whisper gaped at him and then grinned happily. "Really? I'll be able to go?"

"With Meggan and Brand to watch over you, of course. I've been thinking that you need to get out of this drabby little castle."

"Yes, I'd very much like that!" Whisper responded quickly.

"Good," Tekachi said, then started to head out. He stopped and turned back to her. "What were you talking to Will about?"

"Stuff."

"Hmm… Not a very good excuse. Alright then, when you feel the need to tell me, until then," he said, not seeming to mind not getting told.

"Um… Tekachi," Whisper said and walked over to him. She gave a small bow with her head. "Thank you," she whispered.

Tekachi put a finger under her chin and lightly lifted her head. He gazed at her directly at her eyes, his own eyes losing a bit of their hardness in them. He gave a small smile and nodded his head. He turned and walked out.

Whisper stood standing there. Staring directly into his eyes for a second or two had caused her to blush.

Why?

She held her face, turning a beet red. She couldn't fall in love with the enemy, not even have a crush on them! But the way he gazed at her…

She shook her head. She best stop thinking about it. She closed the door and walked over to the mirror, gazing at her reflection.

Indeed…

She was blushing.

**Snow is all gone, now. Finals coming up. I best get studying, ne? … yeah right… :sighs:**


	11. Chapter 11

**My God people! You're lucky! I wasn't planning on updating this, but all the sudden I got a big urge to! **

**So here you are ;) **

**Is it just me, or is this story BARELY related to RS? XD **

A few days passed, and on random times Will showed the secret passages to Whisper, whom memorized them upon seeing them. She wanted to be prepared for when she escaped, and she hoped to do it soon. After the snow on the pass melted is when she would go. But she was afraid that wouldn't happen until spring, and she didn't want that. That was a couple months away, and she didn't think she would be able to stand a few more days here.

Currently sitting on the bed, she was brushing her hair out before she went to bed. She held her hair tight and gave a pull, gritting her teeth out of the pain coming from her head. Finally she gave up and tossed the brush on the ground, deciding to fight it tomorrow. Climbing into bed, she blew out the candle and yawned as she closed her eyes.

Her thoughts drifted over the days events, and she noticed that she hadn't seen Tekachi for a few days. She wondered where he was…

XxXxXxXx

Tekachi paced around his room. He had been deciding whether or not he should sneak into his father's office and see what documents were in there. If there was anything that could help him lead to what his father planned to do… Hearing a creak, he jumped back into the shadows and leaned a little out, straining to see his father walk out.

His father did indeed walk out, yawning and hunching off towards his bedroom. The torch that his father was holding slowly faded out of view as his father walked farther away.

Tekachi stepped into the light and ran swiftly to the door, not making a sound. He turned the doorknob slowly and pushed the door open, careful not to make it creep. He lit a torch as he got in and shut the door, and he walked over to the desk. Setting the torch on its rightful place on the wall, he slowly eyed the dusty papers sitting on the desk. They were all recent and written in his father's scribbly handwriting.

His eyes wandered passed the desk and went to the boxes of papers behind it. He bent down and took out a withered piece of paper and turned it over. He gasped and tightened his grasp on the paper. "Whisper?" he murmured as he stared into the painting of his father and a woman who looked like Whisper.

He shook his head. The woman had a different hair color than Whisper's. He turned over the painting and grimaced. On the back was written 'Tekachi Jet and Olive Vess,' except the 'Vess' was crossed out and 'Jet' was put next to it. Olive wasn't smiling in the painting. In fact, she looked like she was about to cry. Tekachi growled low in his throat. His father's arm was gripped around Olive's waist, and his smile looked forced. Tekachi wondered that if Olive had received a beating after the picture.

He set the picture down and took out a long, dusty book. Blowing all the dust off, he opened it and read the first journal entry.

_"Today is the first day of my capture by the man named Tekachi, who has declared to call him Master Tekachi. I am lucky enough to have these pieces of paper to write down all my thoughts… my thoughts of how much I miss my husband and my daughter. _

_"Master Tekachi has been none too please with me. I've received a black eye, and I am afraid of what might happen to me. How could I let myself be so stupid, being captured like that?"_

Tekachi could clearly see where the tears had fallen, for when they had dried, they wrinkled the paper. He skipped a few pages.

_"I am pregnant. With his child. How can I raise a child that is related to him? How could I prevent the child from turning out to be like him? I know that Tekachi has a younger son, but I have yet to see him. I doubt I ever will. _

_"I am hidden from everyone. I feel like a toy that won't be stopped being used…"_

Tekachi stood up and pocketed the journal, disgusted at his father. He had found enough evidence for now that his father only had a sickly obsession to destroy Whisper's father like he had when he kidnapped her mother. And now what did his father want Tekachi to do? Do the same thing that he did to Olive?

Tekachi stopped walking. He had heard rumors about the woman escaping and her baby did not. He remembered how they murdered the baby right then and there. Did his father want him to… do the same thing to Whisper? Tekachi growled. His father had sick ways, and he needed to end it.

He hurried to his room, content that no one had followed him. He put the journal on his desk and started to get undressed. He would see that tomorrow, Whisper would get this book, so she would know of what happened to her mother during those two years. It might be painful, but she had to know.

Tekachi once again had a restless night and got out of bed early, and he slipped on a light shirt and loose fitting pants, hurrying to get out of the hot room that had made him almost dripping with sweat. But maybe it wasn't from the room. Maybe it was from the worry over what will happen to Whisper later on.

He vowed he would protect her from his father. No matter what.

And he would not fulfill his father wishes, no matter what.

Or, at least, he sincerely wished he wouldn't.

Whisper woke to a growling stomach and sat up. She groaned and put her feet on the cold ground, shivering. She had been warm under her covers. She went over and put on a robe. She walked over to the door and peeked out, and squeaked where she saw Tekachi standing in front of her.

"May I come in?" he asked, folding his arms.

"Why?" she retorted back.

"I need to talk to you."

"Obviously."

"Do I need to force myself in?" he growled. "I don't mean any harm."

Whisper sighed and slowly opened the door, and watched him pass by her quickly. She noticed how little he was clad in, which was unusual. He must have just woken up. She gazed at his chest and noticed a little scar that appeared through the lightly woven shirt, so you could see his well muscled form. She wondered how deep the scar had been.

Tekachi grinned at her. "Having fun?"

She looked confusedly up at him then back at his well muscled chest. When it clicked, her face turned red and she looked back up at him. "I wasn't…" she tried to stutter out. She breathed slowly and said more audibly, "I was just staring at the scar on your chest."

"Oh, well, they're all over," he sighed.

"… all over?"

"… I'm beginning to think I'm not the only one who seems to have a perverted mind," he drawled out, a smile on his lips.

Her face would have reddened more if it could. "Have you just come here to embarrass me?"

"Maybe, maybe not," he said and grinned. He was having fun.

Whisper crossed her arms and fumed at him silently.

"Anyways," he said, his voice losing all sarcasm and becoming serious, "I found this in my father's office."

"It's… my mother's…" Whisper said as she opened it and began looking through it.

"She was kidnapped when you were two," Tekachi said, his voice angry.

Whisper knee's collapsed and she fell on the bed. She blinked, tears falling down her face. "He kidnapped her and raped her!" she whispered.

Tekachi nodded. "I'm sorry."

"What happened to my half-brother?" Whisper asked him. Something clicked. "Is it Will? Is Will my half brother?"

Tekachi shook his head. "Will's mother was just another victim. Your half-brother was killed when your mother escaped."

Angry tears now poured out. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Whisper."

"Get out," she commanded, her face furious.

Tekachi looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Get out," she said again. She glared at him, and he complied, wondering if he had done the wrong thing.

Whisper put the journal down on the bed and wept.

**This is why it's rated T.**

**I had to hurry with this, but I hoped you enjoyed it, and you don't have to worry about Whisper having a crush on her half-brother.**

**Cheers! **


	12. Chapter 12

"_Today is the day that I plan to escape from this hell. I may not make it, but this baby that I have given birth to needs a new life. And I want to see my daughter again. So much. I can't understand why I've even been taken here. Is it just to upset my husband, to torture him in some way? Well, even if it isn't that, I will get home. _

"_This journal entry may be my last one, as I am leaving this here. Once I escape, he can read it and know of the pain I gone through. Maybe it will change him a little. But I doubt that. _

"_I saw Master Tekachi's older son tonight. I don't think he saw me, but when I looked upon that child… what I saw wasn't hate in his eyes. They were frightened. I wanted to go over and hug him because of the pain I saw in his eyes. I also heard that the poor boy killed for the first time tonight. Maybe that why he looked so afraid. _

"_I escape tonight. A woman named Mora plans to escape with me. She is pregnant, but she still plans to escape. Anything to get out of this hell. _

"_Anything."_

Whisper flipped to another journal entry and kept on reading.

"_My second journal entry. I have been kept in this room as it seems like forever, yet its only been a few days. The people are kind here, but they do not dare act again Master Tekachi. Even if I ask, they'll shudder and pretend like they didn't hear me. Is he really that scary? What's so great about him?"_

She kept reading until she came upon the second to last journal entry.

"_Master Tekachi is a monster. I have to get out of here. He seriously is a monster. I'll be glad once I see walking skeletons again."_

As short as it was, it ended. Whisper smiled slightly through her sad tears. She remembered her mother hated skeletons, and would never go nearby the start of the wilderness, where they lurked. Even though her mother could easily defeat the skeletons… she just freaked out over them. Her father had laughed and said she'd never be a true warrior, and she agreed with him.

Whisper missed those days. Her mother was dead now… she couldn't focus on the past. She got up silently and placed the journal on the desk. She should apologize to Tekachi. She was just so furious… opening the door; she shivered from the rush of cold air that met her. Scowling at her bare feet, she crossed her arms and started walking to Tekachi's room… where she at least thought it was.

She noticed it was probably midnight. She'd been reading it since he gave it to her. Knocking on the door, she said softly, "Tekachi, you there? I'm sorry."

The door opened and Tekachi stood before her, holding a drink. He nodded. "I shouldn't have shown…"

"You did the right thing," Whisper said. "I just reacted… badly."

He reached out and tapped her nose. "That you did. I risked my life getting that."

"… you did?"

Tekachi nodded and looked around. He reached out and grabbed Whisper by the elbow. "I have something to discuss with you."

Whisper let herself get dragged in. She silently walked over to the fireplace and held out her hands. "What do you need to talk about?"

"My father," declared Tekachi. "I've decided to let you in on something. I know you can be trusted."

"How do you know that? I could be a spy on you or something, hired by your father," Whisper said sarcastically.

Tekachi sighed and motioned for her to sit. "I just read a few journal entry's, but enough to realize the torture your mother went through. Now as I look at my father, I can see in his eyes that he will do anything to you. Anything."

Whisper shivered. "What do I do then?"

"You must learn to trust me, Will, Meggan…. Anyone in this village. We will try to protect you, no matter what, Whisper. I will… I will begin making a plan to get you out of here."

"But why?" she almost yelled out. "You're risking your life. From what I heard of your father, he will hunt you down until you're dead!" her lips quivered. "I don't want anyone to die for me."

Tekachi went over and put a hand on her shoulder. "I will try not to die. The people that live in the village… they obey my father to live. If my father was to die… they would escape from this damn wilderness. But they can't."

"Why can't we just kill…"

"I don't want to kill anymore," Tekachi whispered. He reached over and brushed a long strand of hair away from her face. "Even if it's my own father whose killed countless…"

"Then I'll kill him," Whisper declared. "He's a murderer."

"Do you want blood on your hands, Whisper? That would be a cold blooded murder."

"But it would be for the people."

"And you'll live with the guilt for the rest of your life," Tekachi said sternly. "You will. Trust me, because I know of the pain. I know of having blood on my hands. I have killed to live. I feel guilty, yet I can't take my own life to pay for the lives I've killed."

"Take your own life…?"

Tekachi grinned down at her, though it was harsh. "Have you stood on bloody ground, the blood running freely from the men you killed? Have you?"

Whisper shook her head, aghast.

"That is why I wish to defy my father. Without killing. He will die eventually, and it will be a death not caused by murder."

"What will you do? Once your father is dead?" she whispered.

"Leave Runescape for good. You really don't expect me to turn myself in, do you?"

"But…"

"I'm human, just like you," he whispered. "I'm afraid of death."

"But…"

"Now, go back to your room. I'll come up with a plan soon. I know you were thinking of a way to escape. Will has been helping you, hasn't he?"

Whisper nodded silently.

"He's a smart boy, but he's only leading you to your death if you escape by one of those 'secret' passageways."

"My mother must've escaped through them," realized Whisper. "She made it."

"But she lost her baby," sighed Tekachi. "Please, Whisper, just trust me." He ran a hand over her cheek, feeling them warm up in embarrassment. He smirked down at her, thinking how easy she was to embarrass. His father wanted him to woo Whisper… but he didn't have to. Tekachi had already fallen for her, though he knew that it would never work for them. He leaned down and softly kissed her forehead. "Go," he murmured.

Whisper nodded and quickly maneuvered out of his path, and was out the door. Tekachi watched her leave, his heart heavy. He turned to his desk and sorted through the scattered papers. How was he supposed to do this? It was all too difficult… He sat down and started to think of Whisper's mother. The journal was now in Whisper's hands… now in her hands… wait. Tekachi stood up. Would his father notice that the journal was gone? Tekachi hadn't even thought about it. What would his father do once he knew it was in Whisper's possession? It hadn't even been five hours since he had taken it…

But he couldn't take chances. He was off in a sprint, dashing past halls and doors. He ran in pure darkness, though he didn't care, for he had memorized all the paths by heart. Two long steps foreword, jump to the left… he was there. He opened the door quickly and gasped.

She wasn't there.

He searched for the journal, going through drawers and drawers of miscellaneous things.

"Tekachi," a raspy voice drawled out. "My son."

Tekachi froze in his searching and turned around. "Father," he gulped.

Master Tekachi motioned with his hands for him to come closer. "My son… what have you done? Give the enemy help?"

"Father…"

His father produced the journal from his pocket. "Once I knew this was gone… I knew you had something to do with it. Now… how can I trust you? You've disobeyed your father."

"Father…" Tekachi said, frantic. He walked over and went on one knee in front of him. "I'm sorry."

His father placed a hand on his head. "Now Whisper Vess knows her mother was here. A great secret that was kept from her. You do bring dishonor to yourself, my son. And now the punishment…"

Tekachi gritted his hands. Betrayel… Punishment… Not many lived from it.

The father brought himself down to eye level with Tekachi. "I think the punishment for you, my son… is to watch the woman you have fallen for to take your place."

"…what?" Tekachi gasped in disbelief.

"Instead of flogging my own son…" Master Tekachi said, as if barely thinking about it. "Whisper will stand in your stead."

"You can't do that," whispered Tekachi.

"I can," growled his father in reply. "And you will see. Come. It is about to happen."

"No… no… no…." Tekachi slowly said, realizing what he did. He stood up shakily and looked angrily at his father. "You can't do this!" He yelled at his father. He dropped into a crouch and sprang at his father, hate filling him.

His father didn't even flinch.

Tekachi felt ropes go over his arms and tighten around his wrists. They pulled, causing Tekachi to fall out of his jump. He landed face first on the floor, his arms pinned. He felt his father grab his hair and lift him up and punch him in the face.

"My son, why do you make me do this?" the man sounded sad.

Tekachi spit blood on the floor and growled at his father. He looked to the right and left of him, not knowing who was holding the ropes. He saw their shadowy forms slowly come out in the darkness. He gasped. "Shades?" he looked back at his father. "Father, what are you planning to do?" he whispered.

Master Tekachi ignored him and looked at the Shades. "Take him to the flog arena. If he says anything…"

Tekachi didn't need to hear more. The punishment would be worse than the flogging. He was pushed along to the arena, his arms still held by the ropes, though his hands were now behind his back.

Through the halls and turns, they finally came across a large room lit furiously by tons of torches. Whisper stood in the middle, her hands tied. He stared sadly at her, his heart breaking at the sight of her tears. He was brought to the side and was held firmly there. He watched his father come in and hand a whip to big man next to Whisper.

"This isn't right," Tekachi growled. "Father! This isn't right!" he yelled. He tried to squirm out of the Shade's grasp. "Release Whisper!" He growled when he couldn't budge. "Father! Stop!"

His father ignored him, but then turned and stared at him. "You want me to stop?" he growled at his son. "To stop? You dare command me?"

"Yes. I _dare_ you," Tekachi snapped at him, enraged.

"Continue with the flogging," Master Tekachi said to the man. The man nodded and went over to Whisper, who stood in shock.

"Father! Stop!" Tekachi kept yelling. "Do it… do it to me instead, _please_!"

That made Master Tekachi stop and growl at his son, "If that is what you want, fine! Shades, take the Lady Vess to the side and bring Tekachi up here."

"No!" Whisper now finally found her voice. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me!" she yelled frantically. She tried to reach out at Tekachi when he passed her. "Tekachi! You don't have to do this!"

"Shut up!" Tekachi snapped at her. He let himself be tied up, relief filled through him. He had saved her from a whipping, but he knew it would cost him more. He gripped his fists and felt the sweat pour down his face and back. He tried to drown out Whisper's yelling…and as soon as the whips started hitting his back… he eventually tried to drown out his own.

**Vote! How should Master Tekachi die:wants to kill him sooo bad right now, but can't: **

**Ahh, someone asked VERY good questions. **

1. How does someone with merely a mithril longsword and kiteshield even make it to the fourth level of the Stronghold of Security?

- **Since when did armor matter? **  
2. The man Whisper tried to fight...you said he had a rune battleaxe. But later you name his weapon as a "sword". What is his weapon?

- **Totally my mistake, gomen! Let's just keep it at a rune battleaxe ;)**  
3. A man in full rune doesn't need to parry with a seventeen year old girl with a mithril sword and shield!

**- Well, let's see, hmm… armor doesn't define strength. Its how you use it.**

4. Since when does DEEP WILDY have FORESTS and CLEAR LAKES?!

**Hmm… I dunno, you figure that out. **

5. Since when do normal people live in villages in the Wilderness?

**As you see, they aren't quite… 'normal.' Their stuck there. **

6. Is Tekachi Whisper's half-brother? evil grin

… **:comes after you with a knife:**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm so sorry, it's so late… and it's probably near the end, too…**

Whisper sat down slowly next to Tekachi, who was now lying on her bed. She and Meggan had brought a pitcher of water and salt to clean the room. She reached into the pool and felt the warm water, not knowing if it was better if it was warm or cold. Sighing, she pulled out the long now soaking wet rag and squeezed out the access water.

They had left Tekachi at the post, and Whisper, with Meggan's and Brand's help, she was able to bring Tekachi to her room. The Shades and Master Tekachi had left, knowing that she couldn't escape by herself. Whisper knew it was true, too.

And now Tekachi was lying on his stomach, covering her bed in his blood. She couldn't tell if he was conscious, but it would be helpful if he was out. She knew cleaning his wound would hurt him greatly.

"Brand, can you hold him down?" Whisper asked.

"I don't need… to be held down," Tekachi gasped out, much to Whisper's surprise. "I've… been…. In more pain… than… than this."

"Tekachi…"

"Just clean the damn wound," Tekachi said in a hard voice.

Whisper nodded and lightly touched the long, bleeding wounds. She felt his body twitch in the pain, but kept on wiping away the blood. Meggan had rushed off to change the water, which was now a deep red color. Brand stood off in the corner, not quite knowing what to do. Will had snuck in and was sitting quietly next to Whisper.

Tekachi slowly sat up when the wounds were clean. He gazed at Whisper through hazy eyes as she wrapped bandages around him. She cut off the end and tightly tied it. She set the rag in the pitcher, a mix of emotions on her face.

"How are you?" she finally asked.

He grunted. "In pain, of course."

"I'm sorry…"

"Shut up," he softly said, not trying to be mean. "Right now… you have nothing to be sorry for. I just need rest." He leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes.

"If you don't mind the blood," Whisper replied back, indicating the blood covered sheets.

Tekachi gave a slight smile. "I don't mind."

"Miss, I'll be leavin' now," Meggan politely said. "I'll be taken Brand and Will with me. If ya need anythin', you know where to find us."

Whisper nodded and watched them file out of the room. She turned back and stared at the slumbering Tekachi, who had fallen quickly asleep despite the pain. She rested her head against the chair and stared at the long, old scars covering his body. She couldn't begin to imagine what childhood he went through.

Nor did she want to.

She was sure… sure that it would be just as painful for him to tell.

Xxx

"Whisper!"

"Hn?"

"WAKE UP!"

"Hn!"

"God…"

Whisper lifted her head from the chair and gazed upon an irritated looking Tekachi. "What?" she asked tiredly.

"You wouldn't wake up," he said angrily. "How heavy do you sleep, anyways?"

Whisper wiped the morning tears from her eyes and yawned. "I never thought about it, so I don't know."

"You sleep like a rock."

She glared at him. "Well sorry, Mr. Whip-me-instead."

"Whip-me-instead? Don't you at least have any sympathy for me?" Tekachi said dryly.

"You obviously don't need it."

"What if I do?"

"What if you don't?"

"It would be kind if you did."

"I'm sorry. Is that better?"

"Tsk. Hardly sounded like an apology."  
"You didn't want me to apologize."

"Maybe I just want to hear your voice."

"You're a terrible flirt."

"You call this flirting?"

Whisper sighed and stood up. "Look, what do you need?"

"Nothing…"

"Then what did you wake me up for?"

"Well, actually, you could help me get up…"

"You can't get up?" Whisper asked, her voice turning to pure worry. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

Tekachi flipped the covers off of him and slowly put his feet on the cold ground. "I was kidding. I can get up."

Whisper scoffed at him. "You kid around too much."

"I know." He stood up and looked down at her, his face with a grin. But a second later it turned serious. "I'll get you out of here," he said suddenly.

"Don't talk about that right now," Whisper said definitely. "Not at least until you're healed."

"I don't need to be healed to fight," Tekachi said. "I'll make up a plan."

"What are you thinking?"

Tekachi walked to the door and opened it, not looking at her. "I'm going to kill my father," he said quietly and shut it, leaving her alone.

Whisper stared mutely at the door and turned around to face the bed. Not wanting to think of what Tekachi said, she started to pull off the bloody silk bed covers. She held her breath, clearly smelling the iron. It was strong and making her stomach churn. She'd hardly ever seen blood. The most she had seen was when her village had been burned down.

Realization hit her that she had thought of wars. Wars were good. They protected the ones you loved.

But it hurt so many people in the process. So much blood is spilt in war.

And she hadn't wanted to realize that.

Now she feared that her own, or Tekachi's blood would be spilt…

Just so she could return home.

Xxx

Tekachi paced around the dark room lit only by a few candles. In the room stood the village's leaders, clad in their daily worn out clothes. They all noted the serious atmosphere in the room. They discussed quietly amongst themselves about Tekachi's plan while he awaited their answer.

Tekachi was glad he had made this room a few years back. It was a secret room of his, which he could use to sneak out into the village without anyone knowing. Few bookcases lined the bare stone walls. The books were all dusty and most of them books he had read over and over again. The room had a large wooden table and long benches as chairs. Candles were sitting on the table, casting shadows upon the wall. A perfect place for a secret meeting.

"Tekachi," an old man said, getting up. "I think you may have something."

"Still," a younger man said, "The idea of a revolt against the master is a huge plan."

"But it needs to be done," a woman said, the only woman in there. She flipped her striking black hair behind her head. "Tekachi, I'm in."

"But the master has never done anything to us," the old man said.

"Yes he has!" growled the woman. "What about Lady Vess, around fourteen years ago?"

The old man grumbled. "I know, but…"

"But what?" Tekachi asked.

"Nothing," the old man sighed. "Fine. I'm in. As I'm sure the whole village is."

The rest of the men nodded, some hesitant.

"How did this come up anyways?" the old man said. He scratched his balding head. "Something go wrong?"

"Clearly something did," the woman said. She stood up and walked over to Tekachi. She quickly lifted a hand and flipped his shirt up. "You're wounded."

Tekachi cursed, thinking that he was stupid to think he could hide it from them. He lifted his shirt for all of them to see. "I was flogged yesterday."

The old man dropped the pipe hanging in his mouth in astonishment. "He's never punished you."

"He wasn't planning to," Tekachi sighed and pulled down his shirt. He gazed down at the ground. "The Lady Vess's daughter is here."

The woman gasped. "That was her? The one you had to kidnap?"

Tekachi nodded.

"You're doing this just for a girl?" the old man grumbled, but he was clearly struggling not to say something.

"I'm doing it for her and the village," Tekachi replied.

"How is the daughter?" the woman asked.

"Fine. It was her that was supposed to get whipped, but… I stood in her stead. It was my fault from the beginning, anyways. I had snuck into my father's study room and taken the Lady Vess's journal. I gave it to her daughter. My father… he found out, of course."

"What's the daughter's name?"

"Whisper."

"And she knows about her mother?"

"Yes."

"I remember," began the old man. "I remember her mother a lot. The poor soul."

The woman nodded.

"Leela, can you prepare what men you can?" Tekachi asked the woman.

"Yes," she nodded. "What are we up against?"

"Shades."

She gritted her teeth. "We can take them."

"How do we get started, first?" the old man grunted.

"Slowly. We know the total layout of this place… and we need to know how many shades there are," Tekachi said loudly. "We can do it."

"Yeah," Leela sighed. "I never thought I would see the day where you would speak out against your father. I thought he had you tightly around his finger."

"He did, for awhile," sighed Tekachi. "But…"

"Are you trying to redeem yourself, boy?" the old man asked softly.

Tekachi opened the door, and nodded slightly. "I want to," he said sadly. "But I can't… I don't see how. I see the lives that I've taken…"

"The lives you were forced to take," Leela reminded him.

"But I never, ever refused," Tekachi sourly said.

The people stared at him sadly, knowing this was true.

Xxx

Whisper smoothed out the bed cover as she settled into it. Time had gone, and it was nighttime. Tekachi had yet to return to her room, and she was too scared to go out of it. She closed her eyes, but opened them a second later when she heard her door open up. "Tekachi?" she called out softly in the darkness.

"Aye."

"Are you all right?"

"Aye."

"Are you sure you want to kill your father?"

"Aye."

"Is it the best choice?"

"Aye."

"Is that all you're going to say?"

"Aye."

Whisper sighed. "Why'd you come in here?"

"… I just wanted to see you," came a soft reply.

She blushed lightly at the comment, but replied back, "Really now? I'd thought you would be sick of me. After all, you received those wounds…"

"Don't you ever know when to stop blaming yourself?"

"No," Whisper sighed.

Tekachi sat down on the chair next to the bed. "How are you?"

"Bored."

"I'm sorry, I didn't come back. Did Meggan take you out at all?"

"Only to use the restroom. I was too scared to stay out any longer," she admitted.

"Ah."

"Tekachi…"

"Yes?"

"I want to know how your village came to be."

Tekachi's eyebrow lifted in surprise. "Why?"

"I want to know why its out this far… so far away from other villages. And how it came to be."

"You really want to hear the story?"

"Aye."

Tekachi laughed. "It's a childhood story that's told often. It was discovered by the Sir Fett and Lady Mar…"

**OMG!**

**I GOT MY PERMIT! And I drove for the second time today!**

**Anyways, FAQ:**

**WILL MASTER TEKACHI DIE?**

You will see. You must have patience, young one. Only then, will you

**Is Tekachi Whisper's half-brother? O.o But if they aren't...ARE THEY GOING TO GET TOGETHER??**

:sprays mustard at you: No. And if they're gonna get together? Depends.

**Any lemon coming soon?**

:sprays a ton of mustard at you: O NOOOOOOOOOO! I do not read lemon, less write it! Lol. Sorry, but my fics are teen.

**and didn't you clear up the whole thing with the half brother? Whisper's mom and Master Tekachi's child died, right?**

Yes. Right. Yes.

Let me clear it up for those who don't yet understand.

Whisper's mother was kidnapped when Whisper was two. She was kidnapped by the Silent Warriors and Master Tekachi. She became pregnant with Master Tekachi's child, and gave birth to a son. Another woman that was captured who was also pregnant with Master Tekachi's child, gave birth around the same time Whisper's mom did.

That child is Will.

Whisper's mom escaped with her child, but was caught in a predicament where the child was taken away from her, and she was able to escape. She knew that if she had rescued her child, she would have died, and she still had a husband and a daughter to go home to. She chose to live, and returned back to her home. (Her child wasn't named)

Will's mother died, and he was basically raised by household servants and occasionally Tekachi.

Tekachi's mother died in the war that took place in Oh Dear III. That made Master Tekachi into a more of an evil man.

Timeline (Whisper is 17 as of RIGHT NOW)

17-18 years before Hidden Away: Myla's army against Varrock. Silent Warriors are brought to Aay's attention. Tekachi's mother killed in the war.

14-15 years before Hidden Away: Whisper's mother captured.

12-13 years before Hidden Away: Whisper's mother escapes.

7-8 years before Hidden Away: Whisper's mother is killed by a disease

NOW in Hidden Away: Whisper is captured. Whisper's father searching for her. Silent Warrior revolt against Master Tekachi to happen soon.

Hopefully that cleared some stuff up. I'll have a more precise one when I have more time on the computer.


	14. Chapter 14

**Yosh! I have decided this day will be my writing day!**

"… Sir Fett and Lady Mar were in love. They were a happy and beautiful couple, set on living a happy life. At first, it seemed that way. Lady Mar soon gave birth to their first child, a boy. Sir Fett and Lady Mar were overjoyed, and they couldn't of been happier. But then one day, many years ahead… that one day that their village, which is long gone by now, was attacked. Lady Mar barely escaped with her life, and Sir Fett was the only older man to survive the attack, along with young men and women. All children were mostly murdered. Lady Mar and Sir Fett's son was now a young man, though he was killed in trying to protect the children.

"Lady Mar went insane and became unable to do anything for herself. She became… like a vegetable. Sir Fett had brought out the rest of the village to safety despite the pain of losing his son to death and his wife to insanity.

"But their safety did not last long. The mountains soon became covered in snow, and they barely made it out. Few were lost, but they had lost even more possessions. Sir Fett brought them to where the village is now. As winter faded away, their own village began to form, away from all civilization.

"Sir Fett was getting on in age, and slowly insane like his wife. He began to think this was his entire fault and that they were doomed to be there for all eternity. Then he began to have nightmares that told him that he could build an army.

"An army for himself.

"The population slowly began to grow, as did the new army that was being formed by him. They were trained day in and day out, often going off on expeditions to slay dragons, trolls, or skeletons that rested in the deep of the wilderness. They learned moves where they could dodge a single arrow that was shot from behind them; they could kill without giving a second thought; they could sneak on an enemy from all directions and still be undetected; they moved without sound.

"As Sir Fett lay dying, he said his dying wish. A wish to the being that killed him. A Shade.

" 'Spare me,'" Sir Fett begged. " 'I won't die until this army destroys Runescape.'"

The Shade, impressed upon this man's bold speech, made a deal with him. The deal was that Sir Fett must sell his soul to the Shade, and he will spare him. The Shade will let him live until he destroys Runescape.

"But Shades do not have patience. Sir Fett was able to live, though he never moved to conquer Runescape, which upset the Shade. The Shade, who was still in control of Sir Fett's soul, became one with the man. He entered the man's mind and body, and controlled every motion.

"Sir Fett died, and the Shade was now in control. Sir Fett, before he went insane, had gotten married again, and now that the Shade was in control, a year later he had a son with his wife who did not know she was now married to a Shade, and the child she had given birth to was half human, half shade.

"The Shade, knowing that the human body was getting in his years, raised the child in his evil ways until the his human body laid on its dying. As his son looked at his dying father, he vowed that he would rise up the village exactly how he had wanted it. The Shade died within the next second, still cursing the fate that once a Shade transferred, it could not transfer to another body again. If he could have…

"He would have used his own son," Tekachi finished his tale and took a deep breath, then added, "And now, we are the third generation. Sir Fett would be my father's great grandfather, but now that is said to be a rumor. Now… I'm not too sure."

"Do you really think he's really a Shade?" Whisper asked, a bit of worry in her voice.

Tekachi leaned back in his chair. "I don't want to believe it, Whisper. My father would have a piece of shade in him, but not much."

"So you said the Shades can't transfer their bodies more than once?" Whisper seemed eager to know.

"It's possible," he admitted, "but I've also heard its very hard for a Shade to do that. And… I don't like the thought of my father being part Shade."

"Why?" Whisper asked.

Tekachi looked painfully at her. "Then that means I'm part Shade. As would Will be."

"But…"

Tekachi looked down on the ground, a stricken look on his face. "Maybe that's why I have such advantage in battle."

"What do you mean?"

"When… when I fight, I'm able to move faster than any other person that I know," Tekachi sighed. "That's why my father always gives me the hard jobs."

Whisper nodded. "So what does it matter if you have a little bit of Shade in you?"

"What does it…? Whisper, it matters a whole lot," Tekachi sighed again. "You need to look up your research on Shades."

"Tell me then what you know of them."

"Fine," Tekachi agreed. "Shades are powerful, strong, and undead. They can transfer their soul ONLY if they're strong. And only if they're really strong, they can do it again. When a Shade goes into a human, it takes over and when offspring is made, later on in generations the Shade can come back alive, slowly rebuilding itself in the offspring that contains part of his blood." Tekachi stopped, and let out a shaky breath. "I've never thought my father could be a Shade. I never would have wanted to believe it, Whisper."

"How do you kill a Shade?" Whisper asked quietly.

Tekachi kept quiet for a moment. "You can't. Once you deal with one and think you kill it… it'll just come back to haunt you."

"How do you know?" Whisper responded in a defiant, if worried, voice.

"I don't truly know. But the legends…"

Whisper sat up straight on her bed and turned angrily to Tekachi. "Legends are only legends. They may not always be true."

"They can be," Tekachi responded.

"Fine," Whisper scoffed. "But they can also be changed."

Tekachi looked confusedly at her, then his face broke out into a grin and he started laughing. "Whisper…"

"What?"

"You just don't give up, do you?"

Whisper smiled at him. "I can't. Too many people are depending on me."

Tekachi stopped laughing and crossed his arms, serious again. "We are using what men we have. I'm sure my division will follow me, as the other general's. We are the Silent Warriors, bred for war. We can defeat him."

"No Shade can stand in our way," Whisper declared happily.

Tekachi stood up and nodded his head, grinning. "Exactly. We can do this."

"When do you plan to do this?"

"When we find out how many Shade's we're fighting against," Tekachi shrugged. "I doubt it will take long."

Whisper nodded and yawned. She leaned back on her bed, stretching.

"Hey, Whisper, up for some sneaking around?" she heard Tekachi said.

She mumbled a sure, fighting against sleep. She could hear Tekachi grin when he said good and closed the door when he walked out.

Xxx

The next morning, Tekachi ran towards his father's chambers. He barely felt the pain in his back anymore, even though it was only two days since the flogging. He guessed he was so used to pain that it didn't bother him anymore. He knocked on the door and opened when he heard his father call him in.

"My son," Master Tekachi said as he walked in.

Tekachi gave a small bow. "Father."

"I trust you have learned your lesson," Master Tekachi said in a painful voice.

"Yes father."

"Good. I trust you never disobey us again?"

Tekachi didn't hesitate. "Yes." And why did he say us?

"Good. Now. It's time."

"For what, father?"

"The war against Runescape," Master Tekachi declared.

"… what? I don't understand. I thought you wanted to only overtake Varrock," Tekachi said, worry filling his mind. "We aren't ready to take on Runescape."

"Oh… yes, we are, my son," Master Tekachi grinned. "We have new additions to the army."

"… what?"

"You remember those Shades that were on that fateful night two days ago?"

Tekachi nodded.

"They offered to join our cause. It'll be monsters against Varrock," he laughed.

"That's…"

"That's what?" Master Tekachi demanded.

"A good idea."

"Good. Now get out of here and prepare your troops for training. At the beginning of Spring, we'll leave. Oh, and you'll also have Shades now wandering the castle."

"What…?"

"They won't kill anyone since we're all on the same side," Master Tekachi grinned.

"What of the Lady Vess?" Tekachi asked.

Master Tekachi walked up to Tekachi and glared down at him. Tekachi tried not to flinch under his hard gaze but still looked his father straight in the eyes.

"Don't think I don't know what you are planning," Master Tekachi said. "If you move on with, your old love… Leela, is that her name? I'll kill her myself."

Tekachi opened his eyes wide. "How do you know of a plan?"

"I have my… spies," he grinned and rubbed his beard. "And now I hear you're doing a very, very good job at wooing the Whisper girl. You aren't actually falling in love with her, are you?"

"…I…"

"My son, if you do disobey me, it'll be bad news for the girl," Master Tekachi said. "You know that. You have no choice but to follow me."

"Father…"

"I now will go show you your new division. And… bring Whisper with you."

"Why?"

"I think its time… we turned her to our side," Master Tekachi laughed.

"Father!" Tekachi yelled in disbelief. "She won't turn."

"She will… if you're by her side," he growled. "Oh, and she's free to travel anywhere with you now, since she'll begin training too."

Tekachi thought about this. Whisper could join their side, but it would risk too much. She would join, of course, in fake adoration, as she would… but no, he had to make her escape before then. Tekachi nodded his head, as if agreeing. "Fine." He turned and left his father's chamber, not caring if his father was done speaking or not. He ran down to the village, his pace getting quicker each step.

After he explained it to the villagers, they looked around in astonishment, as if looking for Shades already.

Tekachi looked over the view of his village, seeing the hundreds of huts rise and fall with the hills, the children playing, the Silent Warriors practicing their sword practice… soon to be joined by Shades.

"I know this is a blow," he said. "But when the Shades join us, that'll cause us not to be able to revolt. The captive that we have now is Whisper Vess, daughter of the Lady Vess long ago. She is here against her will, but she is willing to help us in any way. Her father is the Captain of the King's Army, and I am planning for her escape so she might be able to…"

"Escape is impossible," Leela said as she stepped up to where Tekachi was standing. "You know it. You're asking for her death."

"But…"

Leela looked down at the people. "Everyone… What Tekachi says has to be true, but it is too risky to send Whisper Vess back to where she belongs. We all know that. But… I have an idea. We'll go along with Master Tekachi's plan."

Tekachi held up his hand. "We have been secluded from the world for too long. We have fought Varrock only once or twice, and are said to be an enemy. But… once we reach Varrock, we will fight for Varrock, not against it. My father can't take that from us. We've been living in fear and tradition for so long, it's time for us to make our move! My father will already suspect this, as he already told me he knew of our plan to fight against him soon. So, I ask, that you train until spring, when the war will be here."

Leela nodded. She looked at Tekachi, her shoulders shaking. "Do you know how much this village has yearned for you to say that?"

Tekachi lowered his voice and stepped closer to her. "What do you mean?"

Leela wiped her eyes. "That was the reason I broke up with you, you know. You would always follow your fathers orders, and the village even began seeing that…"

Tekachi sighed. "Well… I've changed."

"It's that Whisper girl, isn't it?"

Tekachi led Leela away from the villagers' ears. "Leela…" He cupped her chin up to make him look up at her. He brushed away her black hair and smiled. "You could say that."

Leela gathered Tekachi into a hug. "The day for redemption for you… for me, the village! It's finally coming near."

Tekachi hesitantly placed his arms around her. She quickly broke the hug and reached a hand behind his head and pulled him firmly down, placing his lips on hers.

Tekachi, who glared down at her, quickly pushed her off. "Sometimes, Leela, you go too far," he growled. "I may have changed, but I still cannot love you."

Leela nodded. "I just wanted to do it… once. I'm sorry."

Tekachi grunted. "Anyways…" he walked back up to the stand and shouted in a booming voice called out the Silent Warriors. "Silent Warriors! Gather at your divisions! New order is coming up!"

Soon thousands of men and women were headed for the large field, where they lined in the proper lines. Leela, the old man named Skit, and the other generals lined in front of their divisions. Tekachi stood on a tall, large wood deck so he could see every division that consisted of a hundred men each. It stretched out several miles back, divisions after divisions. There was a speaker after every three divisions to guide them in their daily exercises.

Tekachi stood at the front of the army of his fifty thousand men. Soon… to be at least a hundred thousand.

He watched the Shades slide past him and he felt the dark presence of a Shade at a powerful feel. He turned and gave a small bow to the grinning dark almost invisible face. The Shade moved his skeletal fingers and Tekachi shivered under the gaze of the Shade's eyeless face, the sockets of skeletal shade empty.

Tekachi turned back to his army.

If his father wanted a war with him…

So be it.

**La la la la… This is getting out of hand, no? Anyways, the way this chapter turned out, there HAS to be more than five chapters to go!! I think.**

**Tekachi had an old lover? The DRAMA! **

**How come most stories I write have a huge battle at the end? **

**Anyways, I finished my Full Metal Alchemist story. So if this isn't updated, then it's my own fault. **

**My FMA story is actually my most popular story! XD yay!**

**And it won't be updated this weekend. Because. I. Am. Going. To. SAKURA-CON:dances:**


	15. Chapter 15

Tekachi gazed upon his army, looking down at the well trained men and women, holding their swords and spears and armor, ready for anything. Shades were mixed in with the army, breathing the foul breath that they breathe, holding their long cleavers with their skeleton arms, moving and floating as if a dark mist in the wind.

He had been told by his father earlier today to send the first batch over the mountain. They were going to travel heavy, as the mountain was covered with feet of snow. When they would reach the other side, they would build a small encampment, watching for anything new. It was only a small batch heading out, only around ten men and a few Shades, but they would be ready for anything. They were sent for information.

The first sign of melting snow is what Tekachi was watching for. That was when they would start getting ready preparing their swords and shields, gathering enough food for a few days journey into the land of Runescape, ready to conquer. He did not think this could be over in a few days.

This would most likely take a few years. Each year, his army gained new recruits; excited young teenagers ready to fight. Each year, their village grew. When it had started, it had been big. Right now, it was enormous. From what he believed, it could be even bigger than Varrock, which is said to be the biggest city in Runescape. But he has never set there, so he could not say.

Tekachi saw nothing ahead of him. Nothing to look foreword to. Just blood and battle. Something he couldn't escape from. Something Whisper would be brought into.

He was sure of it.

Xxx

Whisper pulled on her long boots that slid up to her knee, and fastened the long cape about her neck. She let the silver cape fall down her back, it landing around her ankles. She wore a long sleeved shirt with a neck that came down into a v shape, which showed off a necklace of a rose that she found on her bed one morning. She wore silver shorts, showing off her well muscled legs, ready for action. A long skirt connected to her belt ran down over one side, leaving only one leg visible. She yanked on the short white gloves and finally started to fix her hair.

These were to be her battle clothes, she was told. Clothes that she would practice and battle in. She wasn't going to fight against her own people, they told her, but in order live under Master Tekachi, she must fight with the others. Escape would be easy, once she was in Runescape. Just… it wouldn't be easy to leave.

She had a month before they started heading out when the thaw would happen. She wanted to be back in shape for being captured for several months now, not having done any strenuous exercises. Will would also be getting ready for battle, as he had to enter the war now that he was fifteen. Will would have been excited if he wasn't battling against what he considered the good sides.

He had asked her this last night: Why are we on the wrong side?

She knew her answer and his too. She was captured and his village was just raised in a barbaric way by the leader.

Tekachi had told Whisper that there were some evil men on their side, too. Just most of them didn't want to fight Runescape. So, Whisper concluded that it's Runescape against probably a thousand men and Shades. Tekachi had also told her that once the actual battle started, that his men would turn and fight against the Shades. It's the only thing they could do.

Whisper sighed and struggled to brush out the knot in her hair. She didn't quite know what to do, walking around with people she didn't know and Shades, too. But she decided if Tekachi can handle it, then anyone can, right?

She felt a hand touch her own and she jumped in surprise, pulling her hand back and accidentally throwing the brush backwards. She gazed up into deep eyes and frowned when she saw Tekachi just staring at her.

"Yes?" she asked quickly.

"We need to train you more if you didn't hear me creep up behind you," he said, his grim face turning into a smile.

"Well," Whisper said defiantly as she stood up. "I'm not exactly a Silent Warrior like you."

"You will be in a month," Tekachi pointed out. He kept holding her hand and squeezed it tighter. "Ready for the first practice with the army?"

Whisper shook her head. "I need to settle my hair first. Where's Meggan? She's always good with this…"

"I've sent her back with her family," Tekachi said lightly. He kept speaking at her surprised face. "She needed to go back. You don't need her anymore. Besides, it's safer for her down there. Not here."

"True," Whisper sighed. "I can still visit her?"

"With the company of me, yes," Tekachi nodded. "Anyways…" he leaned down and picked up her brush and placed it in her hand. "Hurry up. I bet the whole army is going to be after your hide for making them wait so long."

Whisper gave a small nod and yanked the brush through the last piece of her defiant hair and quickly tied it in a tight braid. She followed Tekachi out the door, ready for anything.

Tekachi let Whisper walk in front of him, dark thoughts clouding his mind. He was nervous about the first day of training. He knows naught of what the Shades do to train, and he didn't really want to know either. Ahead of him Whisper took determined steps, reminding him that he shouldn't quite worry right and be determined of what is to come.

He started gazing at the back of Whisper's neck, noticing the silver chain that was clasped around it. Whisper stopped on her tracks and shivered as she turned around to face him.

"I see you found my little present for you," Tekachi stated simply.

Whisper, who was about to complain about him staring strangely at her neck, grasped the small red ruby rose clasped on the chain. She nodded. "It was from you?"

"Aye," Tekachi shrugged as he walked by her. "It was my mothers, I think. I'm not quite too sure. I had no use for it…"

"So naturally you gave it to me," Whisper grinned as she followed him along the hall.

"Naturally."

An awkward silence passed by once more, only Whisper's light footsteps echoing softly off the stone walls. Whisper once again admired how quiet Tekachi walked, not quite knowing how he was silent all the time. She knew that soon she would find out their secret though.

They came upon a huge wooden door and Tekachi placed his hand on the rusting handle and gave a heave, pulling it towards him. Whisper watched as sunlight poured through and covered them in its glory.

"How long has it been since you've been outside, Whisper?" Tekachi asked, motioning her to walk out and gave a grin as she held a hand up blocking the sun.

"Obviously too long," Whisper sighed as her eyes began to hurt. "I've lost count of how many days I've been captured."

"I would say around two months or two," Tekachi estimated. "Days pass by so quickly here. In most likely six months, we'll be headed back to Edgeville, where your home is."

"Is that our first destination?" Whisper asked.

"It has to be, because it's the first village as we enter Runescape," grinned Tekachi.

"Oh," Whisper sighed.

"I can't promise that no harm will come to your village," he whispered. "I can't promise anything. I hate living like this." He kicked at the snow on the ground, sending a fistful against a tree.

Whisper nodded, knowing how he felt. She walked over to the snow and knelt down, placing her hand lightly against the cool substance. She grasped a handful and let it melt through her fingers. "It's been awhile since I've seen snow," she said, changing the topic.

"It snows all the time here," Tekachi grunted, staring nastily at the snow. "It prevents us from doing so many things."

Whisper looked up at him, a smile on her face. "It brings so many memories for me though. I see myself, Sliver and Kag all stumbling through the snow, carrying our newly built sled… and ten minutes later we all land in the freezing pond." She gave a small laugh. "We all got colds and had to spend the rest of the week lying in our beds. We were probably around ten and then Sliver left us a bit after that to go reunite with his parents. I had thought we were never going to see him again, because he lived in Varrock."

"Do you miss him now?" Tekachi asked softly, kneeling beside her and gathering a handful of snow himself, letting it melt into his glove.

Whisper nodded her head. "Very much. Sliver was always there for me; Kag always cheered me up with her jokes and sarcastic comments. I remember often getting into fights with her over Sliver."

Sliver's name began to irritate Tekachi. "And who mostly won?"

"I did," grinned Whisper. "Though Sliver never quite showed an interest in girls at all. It never got anywhere."

"Good," Tekachi muttered.

Whisper chose to ignore him and stood up, straightening out her skirt. "I suppose we should go. We're just dawdling here."

Tekachi nodded. "Come to the stable. We'll have to ride a bit to get to where the whole army is."

Whisper quickly followed Tekachi who started walking briskly, heading for a stone building. He stepped up the stone stairs and opened the door quickly; the smell of hay, droppings, and old food met their noses. He walked over to a stall and motioned toward it. "This is my horse, Teka."

"You named him after you?" Whisper gave a curious glance at him.

"An old friend named him for me," he replied wryly back. "No way would I name something after myself."

"Mhmm." Whisper walked over and placed her hand on the side of the horse's head, mingling her fingers in with the dark black hair. She gazed at the gleaming black coat and ran her hand over the shoulder of the horse, feeling his muscles tense. "He's a beauty."

Tekachi nodded. "I raised him from a colt and I've had him for six years now. He's been with me through everything."

Whisper gazed at the scars that the horse bore on its side and back. "I can see that," she said.

"He's had some tough times too," Tekachi continued on, "but he's strong and can take anything that comes his way."

Whisper patted the horse's face affectingly. "Where's the horse I'll ride?" she asked, turning and gazing at the stalls, seeing horses of all different colors. She walked to the middle, gazing at a horse with a sleek grey coat.

"You can pick… everybody else has their own horse. My father's servants all specially raise these. They are all very strong and can run for miles without showing any hint of getting tired…"

Whisper walked over to the horse with the grey coat. "What's his name?" she asked, putting a light hand on the horse's mane.

"That's Tears, known as the silver bullet around here," Tekachi said over his shoulder as he placed his leather saddle on his horse's back.

"Tears?" Whisper said slowly, as if trying to sound it out. "Such a sad name for a beautiful horse like you," she said quietly to the horse. She ran her hand over the neck, gazing at the white dots that decorated the horse. "You're beautiful…"

"Do you like 'im?"

"Yeah," Whisper nodded her head. "I'll take him. Is this is saddle?" she asked, pointing to a black leather saddle sitting to the side. At Tekachi's nod, she picked up the blanket next to the saddle and placed it on the horses back, admiring how the black blanket matched the horse's coat. She grunted as she lifted the saddle up on his back, and tightened it on. The horse seemed to accept what was being put on him, and soon Whisper had him all set up and led him into the middle of the stable.

Tekachi sat on his horse, waiting patiently.

Whisper put a foot in the stirrup and lifted herself easily, placing her right foot in the other stirrup. She put her hands around the reins and gave the horse a light kick, prodding him into a walk.

Tekachi led the way and put his horse into a trot along the stone path. Whisper soon followed, getting the hang of the horse again. She soon caught up with Tekachi and rode alongside him.

"You wanna see why they call him the silver bullet?" Tekachi asked, a smirk on his face.

"I'm ready for anything," Whisper grinned back. She kicked Tears a tad bit harder in the sides, pressing for him to go faster. She felt his muscles tense up and he let out a large neigh. He quickened his pace and soon Whisper had to duck low behind the horse's head to not get caught in the full force of the cold wind. She began to laugh in joy, leading the horse along the path. She noticed that Tekachi was no longer with her, and she pulled lightly on the reins and slowed him down to walk. She looked back and Tekachi waved to her, about a hundred feet away. He galloped up to her and grinned at her.

"One of a kind, that horse is," Tekachi laughed. "He's the fastest one I've ever seen…." His horse neighed definitely and Tekachi placed a hand on his neck. "Except for you, of course." His horse seemed to give a nod.

Whisper grinned. "They seem to have a special place in their hearts for humans. They have strong connections."

"That they do," Tekachi confirmed. "Through all the battles that Teka and I have been through… I wouldn't change my horse for anything."

"There he is!" a voice interrupted him. A man jumped down from a tree in front of them and landed in a crouch. He stood up, revealing a young face and strong lithe, body. He flipped his braided blonde hair back over his shoulder and crossed his shoulders, a scowl on his face. "Lord Tekachi… we've been waiting for about an hour now."

Tekachi nodded. "And I'm sorry about that. Have you been training?"

"We've just been doing mock battles," the man shrugged. He seemed to finally glance at Whisper. "And who's this?" he grinned. "A lady friend?"

"This is Whisper Vess," Tekachi said, getting annoyed at the man for noticing Whisper.

The man blinked in surprise and stood up straight suddenly, walking up to Whisper. He held out his hand for Whisper to accept it, which she did.

"Dear Lady Vess…" he said in a strong voice, "I've heard stories about you. I am honored that you will be here with us. The army and I will protect and lead you safely home, when the time comes."

Whisper gave a smile at him. "Thank you, Sir…"

"Lock. Perr Lock," he grinned.

"Sir Lock." Whisper blushed slightly when Perr lightly brushed his lips against her hand.

Tekachi coughed. "Perr, get back to your squad and have them ready. Lady Vess will be joining in our training…"

"… in my squadron?" Perr interrupted, giving a grin.

"… In _my_ squadron," Tekachi growled. "Now go."

Perr sighed and walked off, waving goodbye to Whisper.

"Do I detect… jealousy?" Whisper had the guts to say to Tekachi.

Tekachi, as strong as he was, reddened in the face. "Let's move on," he growled.

Whisper laughed and nodded, prodding the horse into running. She didn't notice the ghastly being that jumped at her from the side and grasped her arms tightly, pushing her off the horse. She heard her name be yelled as she fell and felt the air go out of her as she landed on the ground. She opened her eyes and glared at the skeleton like face above her, her arms pinned on each side of her.

It grinned down at her. "I know you," it said throatily. "Whisper Vess…"

"You got that right," Whisper gasped.

The Shade looked up at Tekachi who held his sword to the Shade's throat. "Calm down, boy," it said. "I just needed a good look…" the Shade turned once again towards Whisper, who struggled to be released. "She does have the burning passion of her mother."

"General," Tekachi growled. "I suggest you get off her if you want me to remain friendly." He was also holding Tear's rein, who was going frantic.

The Shade let loose of her arms and she frantically scooted out from underneath him, lifting herself into a crouch and glaring harshly at the man. Tears walked over and pushed her lightly with his face, wanting to get confirmation that she was all right. She patted his face lightly, her eyes softening as she looked at the horse.

The Shade walked away without saying anything, disappearing into the forest.

"What was that about?" Whisper growled, standing up.

Tekachi sheathed his sword. "He must've known your mother back then…" he walked over and placed a hand on Whisper's shoulder. "You all right?" he asked, his eyes searching hers.

She broke eye contact and nodded. "Yeah. It's just not everyday you get a surprise attack from a Shade…"

Tekachi grinned. "I know."

They both got back on their horses and continued on the stone path, Whisper occasionally looking at each sides, not wanting another surprise attack. Tekachi also kept alert, ready for anything. As they neared what it seemed like a cliff, Tekachi slowed his horse down on the top of it. He lifted a hand and did a wave, motioning to the whole valley that they now saw.

Whisper gaped at what was sitting down below her. Men and woman stood, their swords in front of them pointed upwards, as if waiting for a call. Hundreds of thousands of people just held that position, and Whisper saw that Perr stood near the front, holding his sword and not even looking at her. She saw Shades walking around, probably not wanting to train with the humans. Whisper lifted her eyes higher, looking farther into the valley. It had hills and flat pieces of land, all covered with people. It seemed like a huge circle was embedded into the valley, and Whisper could see millions of small paths that winded up the side of the valley onto level ground where Whisper and Tekachi now stood.

Tekachi lifted his hand once more and shouted, "One!"

Whisper watched in awe as each sword was thrown directly up, each executing a perfect twirl and perfect height and falling back down into the hands of their waiting owners.

"Two!"

Each person struck to their right and then their left in lightning speed and twirled, once again thrusting their sword in the air. All of them then bent backwards, placing their hands on the ground. They flipped themselves backwards, standing up and catching their swords as it landed in their hands.

"Three!"

Sheathing their swords, the people twirled once, twice, three times to the right and then twirled three times back to the left, keeping one foot always off the ground. They then ducked with each other twirl, landing on their right knee and dropping to a roll. They stood up and now twirled in the other direction, landing in a roll once more.

Whisper watched, amazed. It was silent. You couldn't even hear them.

"Four!"

Everyone had landed back to where they originally stood, and at the yell of four, they did one, two, three, four back flips, and ducked upon the ground, lifting their shield in front of them. Whisper then felt the air around her whistle, and she gazed behind her, noticing people standing there for the first time. She watched as they aimed arrows down onto the field, covering the area in front of the warriors with arrows.

"Five!"

Each person behind Whisper started running foreword and jumping off the cliff, landing easily onto the ground in a crouch. They each drew their swords and ran for the people already down in the valley, who ran to meet the people head on. They also drew their swords and met the oncoming people in a second. They all dodged and thrust the swords, having a mock battle.

After awhile, Tekachi shouted, "Finish!"

Each and every one of the people in the valley stopped where they were and thrust their swords in the air once more. They straightened themselves forward, facing Tekachi. They held up their hands and let the sword fall lightly down into them, and they did a twirl in front of them with the sword and then sheathed the sword. They held up their hand to their head, saluting Tekachi. Tekachi also saluted them, and turned to Whisper.

"What do you think?"

Whisper gaped at him. "It's like… dancing."

Tekachi nodded his head. "Dancing teaches you how to dodge and move your body flexibly. It has proved us well."

"It just needs music now," Whisper grinned.

Tekachi laughed. "You don't hear music in battle." His grin faded. "Only the bloodshed and screams."

Whisper flinched, having not wanting to remind Tekachi of those things.

"Anyways… follow me. You begin with your 'dance' today…" Tekachi led his horse down a narrow path.

Whisper galloped after him, shouting, "I can't do that!"

"Yes, you can!"

"Can you do that?"

She heard him choke on laughter. "… of course I can."

Whisper sighed, feeling very unprepared for this. She caught up with Tekachi and kept near him unsurely, not quite sure if she wanted to do this. She could fight, but she couldn't catch a sword in the middle of the air like that! And how did that teach them to be silent? She silently seethed at him, thinking he was leading her to her doom.

"Is this Whisper?" a woman saluted Tekachi as he neared her.

Tekachi nodded. "Yes. Whisper, this is Leela. Leela, Whisper Vess."

Leela nodded at Whisper. "You ready to learn to be a Silent Warrior?" she asked her.

Whisper bit her lip, about to say something, but was interrupted by Leela.

"Just your hesitation tells me. I'll train you personally myself for the first few days. We can't have Tekachi go soft on you," Leela decided.

"But…" Whisper bit off her remark. She sighed. "Fine."

"Get off your horse," Leela commanded.

"Enjoy," Tekachi said to Whisper. "I'll be over here with my squadron."

"But…" Whisper once again said.

"Shut up," Leela commanded in a strong voice. "No talking around me, unless I ask you a question. Got it?"

Whisper nodded slowly and got off her horse.

"Lady Vess. Are you ready for this?"

"Yes," Whisper said more firmly.

"Good. Because I'll make you go through the fiery depths of hell."

**Oh. My. God. **

**I hate this computer. **

**I'm listening to a song, and it's supposed to go: "And see your smiling face again!" and its going: "And seeeeee yourrrrrrrrr smilingggggggggggggg faceeeee againnnnnnnn!"**

**Poor Vic. His voice shouldn't go through something like that :(**

**This chapter took me awhile to write. I wonder why? xD**

**Anyways. I hoped you enjoyed this one. I like how the Silent Warriors are turning out. I love writing about them xD I so wanted to act out what they were doing…**

**OH DEAR: ATTACK OF THE NOOB IS OF DISCONTINUED AS OF NOW. **

**Seriously. What was I on when I started that? Skittle high?**

**Anyways. Again. W00t! I just got back from a play at my school D: It was funneh!! **

**Thank you for your reviews, and don't forget to leave another one! **


	16. Chapter 16

The words _I can't do this _ran through Whisper's head repeatedly, her face turning crimson in shame as she followed Leela along. She kept her hands nervously at her sides, occasionally wringing them together. Leela was taking her away from the group, walking at a brisk pace that Whisper had to lengthen her stride to keep up. Leela stopped abruptly and turned around. She held out her hand, as if offering it.

"What you just saw was just a small piece of what we do," she said lightly. "We have to have dedication and emotion into what we do. We dance like we do to survive. The Shades refuse to dance; but you will not. To dance is one of the warrior's greatest feats."

"But dancing doesn't teach you swordsmanship," Whisper cut in.

Leela glared at her. "Don't speak, Vess." She looked to the left and then up, lifting her hands over her head. She leaned backwards, her skinny form bending back into a smooth angle. Her hands touched the ground, and she lifted both legs up in the air, standing in a handstand. She did a slow flip, putting her feet smoothly on the ground. She landed in a crouching position and was her turquoise eyes still glared at Whisper.

"Can you do a flip?" Leela asked softly, standing up and taking soundless steps toward Whisper.

Whisper nodded her head, thanking her father for teaching her everything he knew about fighting and acrobats.

"Do it, then."

Whisper held her hands out to each sides of her and bent a little before pushing herself backwards and placing her hands on the ground, lifting herself and landing on the ground, in the same crouching position Leela had.

"Do it again," Leela commanded, now gazing at Whisper with a look that Whisper couldn't define.

Whisper executed the backwards flip once more, her hands turning cold against the cool snow. She slightly shivered as she landed in her crouch.

Leela gave a small nod and walked over to Whisper, motioning for her to stand up. "You have a graceful form, I'll admit that. But it was loud. In order to be a silent warrior…" Leela drew her sword. "You have to be quiet." She took a small step toward Whisper. "I'm going to attack you, and I want you to dodge. Staying alive is the most important aspect in fighting; not killing."

Whisper barely had any time to respond before Leela attacked. She grasped at her side in habit, feeling for a sword but of course finding none. She wouldn't be able to defend herself long. She swerved to the left to escape the oncoming bluish blade and spun on the ground, spinning herself away. Leela followed after her and brandished the sword at Whisper's head, which she barely dodged. She fell to the ground and rolled away a few feet and jumped back up. Leela was upon her again and took the handle of the sword and aimed it for Whisper's stomach, which she couldn't dodge in time. She watched the black handle hit her stomach and she gasped in pain and then was met with Leela's elbow, which hit her square in the jaw, sending her on her back a few feet away.

Whisper lay gasping on the ground, lifting a hand warily to her jaw. She groaned and tried to sit up, breathing hard. She felt a hand pat her shoulder and she looked up to Leela's grim face.

"I would've had you right there," she said. She sighed and sat down, throwing the sword casually beside her. "I admit I'm not the greatest teacher, but sometimes learning the pain of fighting helps. Dodging is a big part of what we do; we take advantage of our dodge and attack from behind or just at an open spot. We've learned all our life to take light steps, to land gracefully, to always be quiet in battle. We're not named the 'Silent Warriors' for nothing."

Whisper sat up and held her stomach, leaning foreword to try to quench the pain. "What is your goal in teaching me, then?"

Leela took a handful of snow and watched it melt in her fingers before answering. She seemed as if she was still deciding. "Guarding, I guess," she said finally. "And of course just fighting. I'll teach you the 'dance' and let me tell you: the dance can last for hours. We have to be in the best shape and the best warriors; that is Master Tekachi's goal."

"Hmm…" Whisper mumbled. She looked over at Leela and couldn't help the weariness that showed on her face. Leela had small amount of scars on her neck, and a long one that ran up the side of her neck to her hairline. Leela was just fiddling away with the snow, not quite sure what to say. "Are you ever tired… of this life?" Whisper asked hesitantly.

Leela slightly nodded. "I love swords. It's just I… I'm tired of living here," Leela sighed. She gazed at Whisper with a blank expression. "You've been to Runescape. What's it like?"

Whisper shrugged. "My village, Edgeville, is known for is uh.. rough edges. Many people that live there are not to be taken lightly; but then again, it has its fair share of respectable people, too. My father is the Captain of the Guard for the King's Army, and he picked the town because it was quiet. Sure, we live near the wilderness but no harm ever came to us. Then there's the Barbarian Town; full of barbarians, like its name. It's really nothing to fear if you know how to fight. Varrock and Falador are mostly the same; nice sized villages with hundreds of thousands of people. Varrock is the biggest town… though I say Falador is nicer looking," she ended, though her face turned into a grimace once she put a hand on her stomach again.

"You're going to have a nice sized bruise," Leela said after awhile. "Anyways… enough of our break. You're ready to fight again."

Whisper gritted her teeth and regretted that she did. She felt her chin and flinched under the pain that seared up her face. She sighed and stood up slowly and turned to Leela, who sheathed her sword.

"What do we do now?" Whisper asked.

"Might as well teach her the first part of the dance," Leela grumbled mostly to herself, somehow back in a bad mood.

Leela took out her sword and flung it at Whisper. "I know you have no reason to attack me, so borrow my sword for a bit. I'll use an extra one," and at that, Leela pulled a tad smaller one from her belt. She flung her hair back and held her sword in front of her, the tip pointed upwards. "Watch," she commanded. She then thrust the sword in the air, and it twirled thrice upwards and thrice downwards, landing softly in Leela's hands. She hadn't even been looking at her sword when she had done it. She gave a smirk and looked at Whisper. "Now you try."

Whisper looked at the blue sword hesitantly. "Are you sure I shouldn't practice with a fake sword first?" At Leela's glare, Whisper sighed and held the sword in front of her. She held it in her right palm before giving it a toss, staring in dismay, as it didn't do any flips. She gave a slight yell as it came down tip first, and she jumped away to not get stabbed. "This is dangerous!" she shouted angrily.

"Yes, it is dangerous, and mostly everyone gets a cut here and there," Leela said tiredly. "It takes time. Being able to hold your sword and catch it from all directions is a big part of fighting. It could save your life, or another persons."

"But…"

Leela cut in, "Again!" and Whisper did as she was told.

Xxx

Tekachi watched the warriors sheath their swords, all exhausted from the days work. They had done sword practices all day, and once again, Tekachi didn't see anything that they could improve on. Most of them were perfect Silent Warriors; his father would be proud. Tekachi sighed and glared at the darkness coming upon them. The Shades had refused to cooperate with Tekachi; the skeletal beings had decided to train on their own. He knew that he would need the Shades cooperation, for if he didn't, his father would make sure that Tekachi would, and he didn't want that.

He began to wonder where Whisper and Leela had gone. Now that it was near dark, they would all head home. He needed to escort Whisper back or his father would have his hide. He sighed and lightly kicked his horse, prodding him into a walk. He saluted the men and women as he left, and when they were out of his view he wrapped his cloak tighter and him and put on his hood, his whole body becoming cold. It was going to be a frigid night, he noticed, as a light snow began to fall again.

"Leela!" he called out. "Whisper!"

A neigh answered him and Leela strode into view, on her horse. She kept a stern look on her face as she passed him. "Whisper's not far behind."

"How'd she do?" Tekachi asked curiously.

"Better than I expected," Leela sighed. "No matter. She'll have this down in a week."

"Really…" Tekachi murmured.

Leela scratched her head and took a deep breath. "Her swordsmanship is a bit rusty, and she's still slow. She can do about part of the dance, but to do it continuous…"

"She can't do it?" Tekachi finished for her.

"Not yet. If she's going to travel with us, she'll have to be exactly like us," Leela started the horse again and mumbled as she past, "She can do it, if she gives her heart and soul into it."

"As we all have," sighed Tekachi. He started forward once more, squinting in the oncoming darkness. A rider on the horse slowly came into view, and he grinned when he saw it was Whisper. Her back was to him and she was slumping forward. "Whisper?" he asked cautiously.

She jerked in surprise and turned her horse around. "You're insane," she started, "if you want me to learn all this."

"It won't take long for you to get a hang of it," Tekachi replied. "Now come…"

Whisper put her horse next to his and started on the way back to the castle. She reached up and grabbed a handful of snow off the branch and held it to her face, sighing in relief. "Are we just headed back now?" she asked.

Tekachi nodded, then looked at what Whisper was doing. "Let me see your face," he commanded abruptly.

"You can thank that woman for this," Whisper sighed as she drew her hand away from her face. "I haven't seen my face like this yet, but I know it's puffy."

"Hmm…" Tekachi frowned at the sight of her purple bruised jaw. "It'll take a few days to fade away. Here," Tekachi reached into a bag on the saddle. He took out a small bottle and opened it quickly. He held it out for Whisper to take. "This is a light cream my mother taught me to make; it'll help with soothing your burns, bruises…"

Whisper put her finger in the cream and took out enough to be spread over her face. "It doesn't smell," she said, with some surprise. "Did your mother add spices or something?"

"A little…" Tekachi shrugged. "It's better than that smelling type."

Whisper handed back the cream to Tekachi. "Thank you," she murmured, her eyes avoiding his.

"It's nothing," Tekachi shrugged again.

They rode in awkward silence back up the road, only their breaths and the horse's hooves pounding on the ground to be heard.

"So…" Whisper sighed, not quite sure what to say. "Will we do this everyday?"

Tekachi shook his head. "By the way it's snowing more heavily now, this place is going to be snowed over by a few feet. The warriors will have to train by themselves, which I know they will do. We'll try to do this once a week, but for your training, which you desperately need, Leela might decide to do that every day."

"Oh joy," Whisper muttered under her breath.

Tekachi gave a laugh. "She's not that difficult. She may be hard on the outside, but on the inside, she crumples…"

"… like a cookie," Whisper smiled at him.

Tekachi tried to hide his smirk. "Right. Like a cookie." He jumped off his horse and opened the door to the stable, which they just arrived at. In less than a few minutes they had their horses in their stables, leaving them in the hand of the stable boys. They headed back out into the cold, back to the castle, where Whisper once again didn't want to go to.

Once they got into the cold castle, Tekachi led Whisper to her room in silence. "Thank you for not doing anything rash today, Whisper," Tekachi bowed his head as he opened the door for Whisper.

Whisper walked in her room and turned back to him, crossing her arms. "What did you think I would do?"

"Run away or something," Tekachi shrugged.

A light smile appeared on Whisper's lips. "Now that would probably be the last thing I would do," she said lightly. She closed the door, leaving Tekachi to his thoughts. Walking to the fireplace, she placed some logs and quickly started a fire up. Truth is, now that she knew she was headed home in a few months, she would want to try to stay with Tekachi as long as she could.

**It's about half the length of the chapter before this, sorry! Hope you enjoyed!**

**- Mustard**


	17. Chapter 17

**Oh dear… I've neglected this for far too long D: I just haven't felt like writing :groans: Now I need to re-read my story to get the picture back in my head!! **

**I thank the music Requiem for a Dream helping me write this chapter!! (Is it weird thanking a music piece? O.o)**

Tekachi paced around his bedroom, waiting for it to be light enough outside so he could go train. He grabbed some clothes and quickly pulled them on, deciding that it was light enough to at least see where he was walking. Opening the door, he walked out and headed outside.

It had been a week since the day of the get together of the training, and now his father expected another day of training this week. Probably today. He sighed and opened the door to view the land full of pure white snow. _The warriors would need to bring their snowshoes…_

He hadn't seen Whisper for the past few days. She was probably busy with Leela and the training. But he was sure… he was sure she probably already knew the dance of swords. She would be the perfect warrior, if on a side that was the wrong side. His side. The risk of keeping her with them was great, as his father could order her execution any time he felt like it. Even if Tekachi's plan did work and he killed the Shades and his father, he would still have to disband the Silent Warriors and escape, knowing that staying with Whisper with the people in Varrock would be his death, most likely a hanging for the evil things he has done.

Striding into the stable, he headed to his horses stall. He stopped when he heard a light sound and turned to find Whisper staring at him. She was dressed in the warrior's clothing, sword hanging at her side. She gave a slight glare at him and walked passed him. Tekachi let his eyes follow her motions past him, and he crossed his arms.

"Are you supposed to be out?" he lightly said. "Leela…"

"Leela said to come out here this early," Whisper grumbled back. "Apparently, there's a nearby lake that's frozen over and she wants me to train on that." She sighed and put a piece of loose hair behind her right ear, not looking at Tekachi.

Tekachi glanced around the room, silently and not caring about how well the stable was put together. He turned his eyes back on Whisper and smiled. "Ice is one of the perfect places to train. It teaches you balance."

"I don't think I can take any more bruises," she muttered back and started getting her horse ready.

"At least you haven't broken any bones," Tekachi retorted back and walked to his own horse. "Now, when I was training, it was taken seriously… not at all like this, Whisper. It was dark, lonely, oh so lonely, no women around at all…"

"I don't need to hear…"

"… no women to take care of me, just my trainer's kicking my butt, and still no women…"

"… you can stop now."

Tekachi grinned and put on the blanket. "Finally, after many bruises and broken bones, not at all compared to at what _you're_ going through, I was able to go around and…" He smiled as he saw a black bundle heading towards him. He blocked it with his arm and threw the blanket to the ground.

"You need to learn when someone says to stop, you _stop_," Whisper spat. She turned back to her horse and stared dumbly at it, knowing it wasn't a smart idea to throw the blanket.

"Jealous of the women, are we?" Tekachi laughed, then he became serious with a little smile on his face. "Really, I trained with the other boys and girls and there _were_ tons of women around me. But we never had time for relationships back then. It was train, train, train. As we got older and my father put me in charge, I loosened the control of how much they trained the kids from the start. It's not so tough anymore…" Tekachi let gloat seep into his voice, if fake, "and they're living prosperous lives because of me!"

"Selfish, two faced jerk," Whisper said to herself and walked over to get the blanket she had thrown.

Tekachi coughed lightly. "I heard that."

"I know." Whisper sighed again. "I don't know where the lake is…. Leela didn't care to tell me."

"I know exactly where it is," Tekachi said, shrugging. "No need to worry about me."

"I'm not worrying about you, I'm worrying about me!" Whisper shouted. "Where is the damn lake!?"

Tekachi crossed his arms and gazed harshly at Whisper. "What's the matter with you today, woman? You have a short fuse today."

"Well, I'm sorry if I do," Whisper angrily said and got back to putting the saddle on her horse.

Tekachi watched the nervous movements of Whisper as she put on the saddle. He frowned. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," Whisper replied immediately. "Nothing at all."

"Yes, there is," he said likely and walked over to her. He cupped her chin in his hands and forced her head to look up to him. Her eyes were not looking at him, and they were clouding up with tears. "What happened?"

Whisper's eyes became hard and she flicked her eyes and looked into his. "Stop touching me," she whispered. She knocked his hand away and turned her back to him.

Tekachi felt a dull anger dwell in his chest and he started to breathe slowly. "Did anybody do anything to you?" He saw Whisper shiver and he put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around harshly. He backed her up against the wall and kept his hand on the wall, peering harshly at her. "Whisper. Tell me what happened," he commanded.

"Nobody did anything," Whisper tried to control her emotion. "It's what they said."

"Who said what?"

Whisper shook her head. "Just a Shade. The creepy, bodiless form had appeared in my room. He had told me he knew my mother. He said that the same ordeal was going to happen. That I was going to die here, and Varrock would be run over. He then told me… that… they had sent an army of Shades to Varrock. Shades aren't human beings, so therefore they can stand the cold. That's the first move that your father has planned. First a Shade army. Then when the snow melts, the human and Shade army will be ready to fight Varrock," she finished.

"That's a stupid idea," Tekachi fumed. "I don't mean to sound against Varrock, but attacking them right now would alert the warriors in Varrock and Fallador would get ready to meet us."

"The Shades plan to take out the whole army, so we won't even have to fight," Whisper said. Tekachi watched sadly as a tear poured down her cheek. "Then we can take whatever is left for ourselves and leave the remaining survivors to their death, or just take them as prisoners," Whisper wiped the tear off her cheek with the back of her hand. "If the Shades come back, that means…"

"Varrock may already be prepared," Tekachi interrupted her. "They have one of the best armies that I've heard of. Their mages are known to fight very well, and your father, as far as I know, is one of the most courageous and smartest men out there. If you ask me, this was a stupid idea on my father's part… but I'll need to ask him today."

"But…"

Tekachi sighed and walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He drew her towards him and wrapped his arms awkwardly around her. He felt her body go stiff and she didn't hug him back. "You need to learn how to trust people. I've learned to trust you, believing that you won't run away on me. I'm hoping that you've learned to trust me, because it's one of the things that I've been dying for. I need your trust in me. I need your trust in your father, and the generals and soldiers in Varrock, Fallador, and here. Somehow, it'll all turn out, but if you just trust in me, you'll know that I'll be there for you, no matter what, Whisper." He ran a hand through her hair and leaned down, savoring the moment. "Take the right path out of here, and follow that all the way. You won't miss the lake," he whispered. He placed a hand on her cheek and leaned down, brushing his lips against her own. He opened his eyes and peered down at her, a sly, small grin on his face.

He let go of her, noticing that she hadn't moved an inch. Her facial expression wasn't changing, but he started to notice the red color seeping into her white completion. He gave a small bow and turned, walking out the stable. He needed to talk to his father now.

He walked once more into the stone castle, opening and shutting the wooden doors that led to his father's room. Once again, his footsteps couldn't be heard as he walked through the cold hall. He nodded to the servants as the passed by him, all of them carrying a basket of laundry. Normally, they would have taken the servants hallway to the bedroom so they couldn't be seen, but that had bugged him and he didn't like walking through the halls by himself as a little kid. He had asked the servants to walk through the halls; he wouldn't mind. He enjoyed it, knowing that there were people in there beside him, that hell of his.

The large wooden door to his father's study came into his view, and he walked slower, silently dreading talking to his father. He stopped in front of the door and knocked lightly. "Father?"

The door opened soundlessly and Tekachi's father appeared at the door. "Ah, I suppose you heard of what I have done," he lightly said.

Tekachi nodded. "I just want to know why you did it."

His father motioned for him to come inside. Master Tekachi walked over and sat at his desk and started writing briskly on a piece of paper. "Why I did it? Isn't that obvious?"

"It's too dangerous," Tekachi said, "what if the Shade army doesn't succeed?" Tekachi needed the full report of what was going on; he didn't care whether or not it sounded like he cared for Varrock. He needed to see from all sides of what was happening.

"That's why the Shade army wouldn't cooperate with you… they were planning to leave. I sent their whole army mostly out. I expect the Shade army to defeat both Varrock and Fallador and whatever remains."

"How… just how big is the Shade army?" Tekachi asked hesitantly.

"At least a hundred thousand," Master Tekachi shrugged. "The Lady Vess's father is too old to defend himself, the Lady Aay and Sir Patrick were excellent warriors back in their day, but they too are old. Their son, Sliver, can't even compare to their days when they were younger. Whisper's friend, Kag, is the same. Their best warriors will be the ones to fall, and we, the Silent Warriors, will then go defeat the Shades…" Master Tekachi grinned up at his son. "I've got it all planned out."

_Yes, Lady Aay, Sir Patrick and Sir Vess may be old, but that doesn't mean the new generation will lose to the Shades… there is still some hope, _Tekachi thought. _There has to be some sort of flaw in his plans… he underestimates Varrock and Fallador. _

"Tekachi, my son…" his father sighed. "The Lady Vess will be the only one left of her kind. I suggest you keep her well and alive. She is just an unfortunate victim in all this, the only thing she gains, is you. She loses every other part of her life. But, I'm wondering, through all this… will it break her?" his father grinned evilly. "It nearly broke her mother staying here for just two years! And, the unfortunate child that she bore while she was here… it's death was necessary. It taught Lady Vess of the undying cruelty of the Silent Warriors, and it taught her to fear us. All the victims that will be left over in this war will feel that fear, too, and will give themselves to us. We'll be able to rule everything…"

Tekachi fists where white in anger. "Father… this…"

"And you want to know why I'm telling you all this?" Master Tekachi titled his head to the side and peered happily at Tekachi. "Because you can't do anything about it. You, too, fear death. But you also fear love. You fear your fate. Your fate of forever being the son of Master Tekachi, only being a controlled pawn, and you can't do anything because you have to live, to protect the ones you love. You fear to die because of that. You fear to love because eventually, it would lead to death and pain. The fate that you will experience is yet to be decided, but I assure you, that death and love will play a great part in your life, even if you don't like it."

Tekachi stared blankly at his father.

"You think that most of the Silent Warriors will revolt against me, while, in reality, it's just the group of people that's met up with you in the secret meetings. I control their lives. They fear me. They fear me… to live, to have a family of their own and without worries of being killed by me, and they know when their call to duty is. They are all merely just pawns, and they fear to kill me."

Tekachi lowered his eyes to the hilt of his sword on his belt. "Then maybe I can change that," he whispered. "Maybe if you were dead, they would finally realize that they wouldn't have to live in fear."

"You think it's that easy, don't you?" Master Tekachi sighed.

"Yes," Tekachi drew his sword and glared at his father. "I do."

Master Tekachi merely stood up and picked up a sword that was lying against the desk. "You do not know your own father…"

"I never knew him," Tekachi whispered, and jumped at his father. He blinked in surprise as his father disappeared and he landed where his father had been, and his father was nowhere to be seen. He turned around, his eyes searching every spot, and his ears open for any noise.

"You do not know your father," came his voice again.

Tekachi whipped around, seeing his father. All the books, armor, blankets and decorations covering the study slowly began to fade into dark, and Tekachi watched as his father was swallowed up by the darkness and soon the dark was all that Tekachi could see. He took a few steps foreword, not knowing how his father did this illusion.

Tekachi tightened his hold on the handle of his sword. "Father!" he yelled, and then realized he couldn't hear his own voice. "Father!" He yelled again, but yet couldn't hear his voice. "Dammit!"

He looked down at his hands and realized he could not see them. He blinked, not knowing how to fight the illusion. He began to take a few paces, then another, then he finally broke out into a run. There was no walls. Nothing. Just an endless space.

"Illusions can do many things," he heard his father say. Tekachi yelled to respond, but he couldn't hear is own voice. He turned and stopped cold as he saw deep read eyes in the darkness.

"What… what are you…?" Tekachi once again said, but continued to be deaf.

His father seemed to hear him. "I am a cursed being that never dies… a being that continues to be born in the offspring destined to be the rulers of the Silent Warriors. I let these people live, when I could just kill them all," his raspy voice came to Tekachi's ears.

"You're a Shade!?" Tekachi yelled.

"A Shade, a mage, a warrior, a monster," droned out the raspy voice. "Do not forget who is in control. Nobody can kill me."

Countless images of his father appeared in Tekachi's mind, images of his father with bloodstained hands and fires all around him, the sound of innocent men, women, and children screaming out for mercy, the terrible screams of the Shades roaring throughout the land… Tekachi gave a yell as searing pain swept down across his face and down his chest, and he fell backwards into the darkness, reaching out for a hold. He felt a hand grasp his, and collapsed on his back against a hard, cold floor. He breathed hard and the visions of the red eyes slowly faded from his mind.

"Tekachi!" he heard a voice call. "Just hang in there!"

He groaned and felt the sweat pour down him, mixed with the warm feeling of blood creeping down his skin.

"Take him away…" he heard his father say.

"You bastard!" the angry light voice of Whisper shouted back at his father. "What have you done to him?"

A harsh wind blew in the study, knocking Whisper away from Tekachi, forcing her to let go of his hand. She landed against the wall hard and fell to the ground gasping for air.

"I said for you to take him away…" the dull voice of his father replied.

Tekachi once again felt the light touch of Whisper put her hand in his. He couldn't have the strength to open his eyes, and he felt himself be pulled him. He leaned against Whisper's slim form and desperately tried to walk on his own, but unsuccessfully did so. Whisper dragged him along for what it seemed like eternity, and finally she set him down upon a soft bed, which he gratefully laid down into. He tried to open his eyes and look upon her face. He reached out a hand and touched her cheek.

"I don't think… I don't think I can defeat him…" he gasped out. "He's too strong…" He felt Whisper's tears against his fingers, and she put her hand in his. He gasped as the searing pain flashed through him again, and he slipped into darkness, hearing Whisper shout his name, and he knew that she would still be by his side when he woke up. He dreamed of things that he wanted to dream of: freedom. But dark thoughts plagued his dreams, and he only dreamed of his freedom being ripped to shreds, as with the rest of the humans.

But he knew Whisper was there with him the whole time.

He needed to wake up… to tell her that he loved her, no matter what.

**:rips off Master's Tekachi's face and gasps: I KNEW IT! IT'S DARTH SIDIOUS IN DISGUISE!!!!!**

**- Mustard**

**Gosh, I think I ruined the moment T3T **


	18. End of Part 1: Dusk

'**ello poppets! (beware, short chapter ahoy!)**

Captain Vess sat on his horse, his shoulders slouched, feeling defeated. He looked wearily around him, taking in the scenes. He was in Edgeville, watching the houses being rebuilt, white flowers being put on the newly dug graves, and the pain and loss clearly showing on the people's faces. He lightly kicked his horse into a trot, and he roamed through Edgeville, nodding lightly to the people who acknowledged his presence.

"Captain!" Sliver Black called out, running up next to his Captain's horse. "There's news of an army approaching."

"…An army?" Captain Vess strained to look past Edgeville's perimeter. "How far away?"

"At least 25 leagues, Captain. It took a few days for the news to get here, and it'll take a few more days for the enemy to arrive," Sliver said, crossing his arms.

Captain Vess stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Who are we fighting against?"

Sliver cast him a look that showed that the answer should have been obvious. "The people who captured…"

"Captain!" a desperate voice called out. They turned their heads to see a young man ride up to them, face red and fear shown plainly on his face.

"Speak!" Captain Vess ordered quickly.

The man didn't waste time. "The enemy we're going to fight isn't humans… it's Shades."

Sliver gritted his teeth. "Shades? How the hell…"

Captain Vess lowered his eyes and his face became hard. "Prepare the lines. Get all unable to fight headed to Varrock. Get our men and women in their rows, and we prepare to march into the Wilderness."

"Captain…" the man's voice still hadn't lost it's fear, "The Shades that we're about to meet… they have at least thrice our men."

"Then don't just stand there!" Captain Vess roared. He straightened up and glared at the man, his horse stomping his foot impatiently, knowing the beginning of a battle would happen soon. "Head to Fallador and get the White Knights, Sliver, you head to Varrock and get your parents and the other half the army over there! We'll need reinforcements!"

Sliver nodded and set off running to his horse.

Soon Edgeville, Varrock, and Fallador were headed to war, led by Captain Vess, Sir Patrick, and Lady Aay, headed our for a battle they hadn't expected ever to fight so quickly. Thousands of men and women put on their best armor, climbed onto their best horse, and rode out into the wilderness…

… not to be heard of for a very long time.

Xxx

Days passed. Countless days where Tekachi stayed in bed, eyes shut tight and his breath coming in gasps. He wound himself in the blankets, seeming to want to get away from something… anything. He could barely hear anyone's voice and all he felt was pain and fear.

Slowly, the days passed, until a few weeks later…

"Tekachiiiiii. Tekachiiiiiii. Teeee-kaaaaa-chiiii!" Whisper sighed, saying his name over and over, stretching out the syllables. She was sitting on her bed next to the still for of Tekachi, who seemed to be finally sleeping peacefully. She leaned foreword and put a hand on his forehead, and was relieved to find that it finally felt cooler.

She had had to get Brand and Meggan to help her take care of him, as she wasn't strong enough or brave enough to help him use the privy, and Meggan helped Whisper make food and feed him properly, and bathe him every other day. _Oh, Tekachi would owe soo many things to them when he woke up… _Whisper thought dryly.

She lifted her head when she heard a light groan. "Tekachi?" She leaned over him and stared at his face, putting a hand on his cheek. "Hello?"

"Damn…" he muttered and tried to open his eyes. He blinked several times before his eyes finally adjusted.

"You got that right," Whisper murmured. She ran a hand through his hair and smiled softly at him. "You worried me sick."

"How long was I out?" Tekachi finally asked in a dry voice.

Whisper shrugged. "Several weeks."

"Holy…" Tekachi's eyes opened up wide and he bolted up. He stopped as his head started pounding and black spots danced in front of his eyes.

Whisper put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down. "Stay there. You'll probably be able to walk tomorrow. Right now, just rest."

Tekachi nodded, knowing that resisting would be pointless.

"Your army is doing fine… the Shades that went haven't been heard of yet, and that can mean that my people were able to win against them…" Whisper said, trying to keep both their spirits high.

Tekachi looked up at Whisper and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. "What's in store for us…?"

"That's my question that I was going to ask," Whisper smiled, though looking sullen. She held Tekachi's hand tightly, trying to give him reassurance.

"I'm sure it's the obvious…" Tekachi slowly said, "There's going to be a war. Another war that will either be the beginning, or end, of all wars. At least for a little while."

Whisper nodded. "And we're prepared for it. We're all ready…"

"… and so here comes the end," Tekachi said in a hard voice.

"The end it may be…" Whisper murmured, "but the dawn of a new beginning."

**I meant for this to be a small chapter… the end of this story is finally coming. I'm so happy! (Yet, sad, too, that it's ending) I'm guessing at least three or four chapters more. I don't want to make it seemed rushed… Yet again, I do always guess wrong…**

**Guess what!? It's nearing the date of July 12, the day I had started this whole story. It's been a year, and I failed miserably at updating it :)**

**But I'm hoping everybody has been enjoying this so far… I notice a lot of people have quit reading it, which sort of makes me sad, but thank you for reading this far!**

**This was supposed to be put on the 12th, but I won't be here that day. Soooo you guys get a little early. Lucky, eh?**

**I had considered ending it from the last chapter, and maybe write a sequel that would include a whole long story/plot, but I decided against it. I'll be glad to close this book. It was a good one :)**


	19. Part 2: New Chances

The days passed slowly without any news. Tekachi continued to practice with his army, while Whisper started practicing with the mages. The news of no revolt against Master Tekachi spread like a wildfire, and soon everybody's hope was down. But that had been all in Tekachi's plan. After the incident with his father, learning that he was a Shade, he and Whisper had talked long, deciding to lead the army against Master Tekachi once they heard news of what happened to the battle between the Shades the humans.

Then Tekachi soon learned of the people who were against him. One day while he was practicing, he got in a verbal fight with one of the men, and he had learned that probably one fourth of his men were followers of his father, and would forever be. They left him, but Tekachi didn't care. He now had true followers under him, and he knew that they would die for their freedom. He just didn't want to destroy their once chance of freedom.

"Freedom isn't meant to come easy," Whisper said that day he had woken up. "I've learned that through these months that I've been here. I wanted to know why I couldn't get freedom. But I realized that we can't have things the way we want them all the time. The world is full of people that have so many different ideas, that freedom will be difficult to come by. What we have to do is just fight for our freedom, no matter what."

Tekachi found her words true, so they decided for battle.

Xxx

Whisper held up her staff and closed her eyes, concentrating on gathering the energy. She could feel the energy pour into the staff and climb to the top, and the energy gathered into flame at the tip of her staff. She opened her eyes and shot the energy out of her staff, and it sent the flame towards the dummy that she was practicing on. She grinned once the dummy caught flames. She turned to her partner, who was supposed to cast a stream of water on it. Her partner, Jonathon, a young man with a long red haired ponytail and dark brown eyes and a stern face, pointed the staff at the blazing dummy and water shot out of his staff, pulverizing the dummy. He smiled and turned to Whisper.

"You're getting better," he said, leaning the staff against the wall.

"Thank you." Whisper set the staff beside his. "Jonathon… have you heard any news?" She asked, looking pleadingly at him. "You walked in here and wouldn't give me an answer. _Please_."

Jonathon sighed and scratched his head. "Lady Vess, there are reports of miscellaneous Shades coming back. They could be deserters or… I don't know." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Whenever I hear news, you know I'll tell you."

"I know you-"

"Whisper!" Tekachi shouted, walking next to them. He looked harshly at both of them and then took a deep breath. "Jonathon, report back to your post. Whisper, come with me." Jonathon saluted him and walked away.

Tekachi turned and headed towards the castle. "Whisper, I received official news in Jonathon's place."

"What is it?" Whisper asked, her voice now tense.

"Shades are coming back, now in packs. They say that the battle has yet to be decided. It seems they've had several battles now. But I believe that my father is the one behind them coming back – he predicts that we will escape and try to help the people." Tekachi opened the door and let Whisper through. He shut it quietly and strode quickly through the dimly lit hallways. "Which is what we will do."

"You plan to leave? Now?" Whisper said, trying to keep up with Tekachi. "But we would be playing right into his hands."

Tekachi nodded. "Exactly. We'll expect an attack. If we fight hard and brave, we'll be able to cut through the alliance my father has right now. Then we'll go help your people. Then will be the time of the biggest battle… the battle that will end them."

"How do you expect them to be ready?"

"Well," Tekachi said in a light voice while he opened the door to his study. "I've already consulted with the Generals. They're already getting everyone ready. Tonight we shall fight." He looked back at Whisper. "You ready?"

She nodded. "Of course. What about all the maids though? What will happen to them?"

"Knowing my father, he won't even think about them. So we will come back and rescue them after we have won the war. I might sound over confident," Tekachi sighed, "but it's better than having no confidence."

"True," Whisper replied softly. "When do we head out?"

Tekachi looked back at her, a serious look in his face. "As soon as you're done getting ready."

Xxx

Tekachi and Whisper strode to the front of the army, swords drawn in their hands. Whisper sighed nervously, heading to the first battle of her life. Well, it was mostly just a battle of attempting to break through the Shades, but still… it was a battle.

"Remember," Tekachi was saying, "Just run through. Do not stop, even for a second. We will crush them with our horses and our archers in the front. We ride until we meet the Captain of Varrock." He turned toward Whisper and gave her a slight smile. "You ready?"

Whisper nodded. "Ready as ever. Nervous, too."

Tekachi reached over and place a hand over hers. "Don't be. It's going to be all right." He let go of her hand and turned once again foreword. "Hee-yah!" He shouted, and soon thousands of riders followed him. They rode at a semi-fast pace, knowing that it wasn't good to tire out their horses immediately. The snow around them had begun to melt slowly, but enough so that they could get through the pass without any worries except one. The Shades would most likely be on the pass.

It was around midday that they finally began to reach the pass. They had rested their horses along the way a few times, and now they were refreshed and ready. Tekachi held up his hand and motioned for everyone to stop. He drew his sword and turned his horse around.

"Remember what I said! The Shades will be expecting us, so we must just run through them!" He motioned for the archers to go on ahead, and he fell behind them. "The first battle to victory!"

_Would this really be considered a battle? _Whisper sighed and shook her head. This would pass by smoothly. Everything would be ok. She would be able to see her father today. Yes.

Soon all them were headed towards the pass. The archers let go of their reins and held their arrows ready. When the first sight of the Shades came into view, they lifted their arrows and shot off the first round. The Shades had already begun to advance. The arrows landed directly on the Shades, but most of them deflected them off with their shields. The archers shot off one more round, then drew their swords.

Tekachi hurried to the front of the army with Whisper beside him. Leela went behind Whisper, and soon there was but twenty… ten feet between the two armies.

They met. Tekachi broke through their line, hitting several Shades down. The sword went down and went through the neck off one Shade, and his blacked blade came back up and went to his left side, where a Shade had a long spear. He cut off the end of the spear and ran the sword through the Shades head, then did the same to other Shades that he passed.

Whisper was struggling to keep a hold of her sword. The Shades were stronger than she had thought they would be. She nicked a Shade on the arm, giving it a nice deep cut. The Shade almost returned her blow with a knife to her back, but Leela shot an arrow through the head of the Shade. Leela urged her horse forward and she rode beside Whisper, realizing that Whisper was struggling.

_Silence… _That is what Whisper was hearing. It was just pure silence from the warriors. They were not giving any cries, and only their horses could be heard, and the harsh sound of metal against metal. Whisper shook her head. She would also try to be silent, to be strong as they were. She yanked her sword out of the head of a Shade and glanced at Tekachi, who was now ahead of her. She wasn't doing very good at keeping up. Even Leela was ahead of her now and she knew that Leela couldn't stay by her side forever.

_All right! This is a time to stay focused, Whisper!_ She told herself. Her eyes flicked to the hills that were on her side, and she barely had enough time to see the Shade jumping down at her. She yanked her sword up and felt the impact of sword through flesh, and the Shade fell to the ground. She pulled her sword out and kept going. The pass was a small opening, and only a few riders could get through at once. Tekachi was already through, and now was Leela. Whisper looked ahead at the pass, the road surrounded by high land. She frowned when she noticed Shade standing on top of the land next to the pass. Why had they not jumped on Tekachi or Leela? Were they waiting for her to arrive through there? Whisper drew her other sword when she had the chance and let go off the reigns. She would be ready for the Shades.

She reached the pass and thundered on through. One by one the Shades jumped down and she hacked at them with her swords, chopping off their legs, arms… she passed through. A sharp pain hit at her side and the blow was hard enough to force her off her horse. She fell off and rolled down the hill and quickly tried to jump up. She held her side, which was covered in blood. "Dammit…." She watched many of the Silent Warriors pass through, not many noticing her. Her horse had fallen with her and was now lying crippled and bleeding, unable to get up. Before Whisper could reach the horse, it was dead. "Dammit!" she cursed again.

Shades were now gathering around her. She had been able to hold on to one sword, and she got into a defensive position. "Come on!" she shouted, now angry. She looked beyond the Shades, and noticed a familiar figure. Jonathon was standing with other Mages, holding up their staffs. Whisper quickly put her sword in her mouth and did a back flip down the hill. She slipped and cursed at the steep hillside. She started running parallel with the road and the Shades that had been around her were now engulfed in flames. She kept running, and soon noticed Tekachi urging his horse quickly to her. When he reached her, he lifted a hand out and lifted Whisper on the back of his horse and they were once again back on the road, free of the wrath of the Shades.

"We've made it!" Whisper shouted, happy. Tekachi kept silent, and Whisper soon did the same. They kept at a fast pace, and after they had been running for a few hours, they slowed their horses to a walk. Whisper sighed and laid her head tiredly against Tekachi's back.

Tekachi turned to Leela who was wiping off her brow. "I want a count of how many are still alive." Leela saluted him and headed back to consult the Generals.

Tekachi looked over his shoulder back at Whisper. "You had me worried there," he said after awhile in a low voice.

"I hadn't seen the Shade from the side," Whisper sighed. "I got a nasty cut from it," she groaned and lifted her hand from her side, which was covered in blood.

"Dear Whisper…" Tekachi shook his head. "You need to wrap it to stop the bleeding."

"I know… It's hard to do that while we're in full gallop though," Whisper defended herself. She was about to rip of a piece from her shirt when Tekachi suddenly sat up straight. "What's the matter?"

"I hear something…" He lifted his shield. "More Shades?"

"Or maybe it's my father!" Whisper said excitedly.

Tekachi stopped the horse. "Come out!" he yelled. Four people came out from the bushes slowly, swords and arrows drawn.

"Sliver…?" he heard Whisper murmur.

A warning bell went off in Tekachi's head. _Sliver? Sliver? Some old friend? More than a friend?_ He grunted and glared at the four men standing in front of him.

The oldest looking man spoke first. "Who are you?"

"Lead us to your Captain, and I will tell you," Tekachi said.

"How many men do you have with you?" the man asked.

"A few thousand," Tekachi said. "It may not look like much, but it's an army ready to serve your Captain."

The man nodded. "I will take you and some of your men, if you wish, to the Captain."

Tekachi nodded. He turned to his army. "Leela! Jonathon! Star! Dusty!" The four riders came up and saluted him. "Leela, how many?"

Leela sighed. "We only lost around five men. They weren't in my ranks, but in Dusty's."

Dusty, a tall middle aged man, nodded. "They were good soldiers." He closed his eyes and rubbed his black beard tiredly.

Tekachi nodded sadly. "They will be remembered. But other than that, we are now going to see the Captain, and I want you four to come."

Whisper kept her face buried into Tekachi's back, not wanting to let anyone know that she was there until she heard her father's voice. They rode for about five minutes until they reached the camp, and she glanced from the side and saw the crest of Varrock on a flag. She smiled and tears came to her eyes. She was going to see her father!

"… and who is this?" she heard a familiar husky voice say.

Tekachi reached a hand back and put it on Whisper's shoulder. "Go," he whispered.

She nodded and lifted her face up and looked straight at her father. She grinned, the tears flowing down freely.

"Oh my god…" Captain Vess said. He held out a hand. "Whisper?"

Whisper jumped off the horse and took her father's hand. "Yes!"

Captain Vess pulled her into a hug. "My daughter! My daughter has returned after months and months!" He shouted and laughed.

Whisper placed a kiss on his hairy cheek. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Dear Saradomin… whatever happened to you?" Captain Vess laughed. He let go of Whisper and looked down at her with proud cloudy eyes.

Whisper shook her head. "I'll explain later. But…" she turned to Tekachi. "This is Tekachi. He helped with this whole thing. It was his idea to escape to here. Once we knew that we had all the warriors trust and news of what the Shades were doing, we decided to take our own stand and break through the Shades grasp through the pass."

Captain Vess looked up at Tekachi. "Come down here, m'boy!" Tekachi obeyed and got off his horse and walked slowly up to him.

"Before you say anything," Tekachi said slowly and bowed. "I will admit something that Whisper will not. I, Tekachi, was the one who captured Whisper Vess, under the orders of my father. He had thought this would be a good way to get back at you, and now it has just become a mess. I am… I am sorry," his voice was now choked.

Sliver walked up angrily to Whisper. "This man had captured you, and now you trust him?"

"Is that your greeting?" Whisper asked him. "I've been gone for many months, and now this is all you say? And for your information, I do trust him." She thrust a finger against his chest angrily, and then looked back at the bowed Tekachi. "He's done so much for me, Sliver. I trust him with my life."

Tekachi looked up at Whisper, a small, happy grin on his face.

Captain Vess placed a hand on Sliver's shoulder. "If he redeemed himself by rescuing Whisper, then I will welcome him with open arms." Captain Vess laughed. "I'm just grateful that Whisper is alive."

"But she's hurt…" a voice came from beside them. They turned to discover Kag standing there. She grinned. "Yo, Whisper! It's been awhile! But why don't we fix that wound of yours?" She gathered Whisper in a hug, and led her into a tent to wrap her wound.

"Tekachi, I want to you to gather your men and have them make camp," Captain Vess ordered. He motioned a woman to come over. "Lady Aay…"

Tekachi jerked in suprise."Lady Aay? Aay Black?" he questioned harshly. He glared at the woman.

"Yes, I am Aay," the lady said. She crossed her arms and stared confusedly up at Tekachi, waiting for him to speak.

"No… nothing," Tekachi said. He turned his eyes away from her. _The woman who killed my mother went by the name of Aay Black… and I've vowed to kill her. _

_Dammit._

**It's midnight. I'm tired… so I'm really sorry if this didn't make sense. **

**With this chapter, I am deciding whether or not to make this the beginning chapter of Part 2. (talking with a certain someone about having a sequel made me think all these things…yes. You know who you are!!!!) So I'm going to name it Part 2 and give it a chapter name. Ok, I guess it can't be considered as a sequel, haha…**

**Part 2 is going to be short… I think. Arg. I'm tired and can't think, or type for that matter. I'm headed off!**

**P.S. Please review!! And thank you for reviewing to those who did!!!**


	20. P2: Chapter 1

Tekachi studied the map in front of him and pointed to a place. "Here," he said. "This is a large clearing that'll be good for the fight." He looked up to Captain Vess. "If you allow it, we can attack in a week's time." Folding his arms, he studied the Captain carefully.

"We could," the Captain nodded. "But after the last battle I lost tons of men and many are still healing… My boy, I don't know if we're ready in a week's time." He shook his head sadly. "But if you go, we're willing to follow. Just don't make any reckless decisions."

"Right," Tekachi said and rolled up the map. "Is there anything you discovered that Shades are weak against in the last fight? I myself haven't fought against one very long."

"Fire," the Captain responded. "They're weak against fire. Pft, anything is," he said, grumbling. "Just think about what to do. I need to rest," he said while heading towards the exit of the tent. He stopped, and spoke without turning around, "is there anything going on between you and Whisper?"

"Ah…"

"If anything happened to her while she was over there…" the Captain's shoulders shook in anger. "I go sick just by hearing the name Tekachi." He didn't bother to apologize to Tekachi knowing that he shared the same name as his father.

Tekachi bowed low. "I give you my word that Whisper was not harmed during her captivity." He straightened himself and turned back to gathering up his map, glad that he had worked away around the question of him and Whisper.

The Captain opened the tent flap. "Did you know," he continued, "that the battlefield you chose was the battlefield of the war 18 years ago? It's the battle that got me this position… and it's the battle that your mother was killed."

Tekachi stiffened and said nothing. _How did he know?_

"And I think you clearly know who killed her," Captain Vess quietly said. "I wouldn't doubt if you were filled with the duty to take revenge for the death of your mother. Choose which side you want to be on, Tekachi. Good… or evil. Choose wisely." He walked out, leaving Tekachi alone to his thoughts.

"Choose sides…" Tekachi mumbled. "I already have. I'm here, aren't I?"

Xxx

Whisper sat by herself on a cot. The tent around her wiggled fiercely in the wind and she pulled the blanket closer around her. The day had passed by quickly and now it was night. A small candle flickered on a table next to her and she wished that the wind wasn't blowing so hard outside the tent. It created a huge racket so she doubted she would get any sleep tonight.

"Hey," a light voice came from the opening.

"Sliver," Whisper grinned and rushed to him and grabbed him in a fierce hug. "It's been too long."

"Definitely," Sliver laughed. He held tight to her for a few seconds then let go, his hands on her shoulders. "Everybody is happy that you're back! Kag wouldn't stop telling everyone; and now everyone believes that defeat of Tekachi and his army is possible!"

"That's so great!" Whisper said. She grinned. "You've grown your hair out," she said, reaching up to brush his dark blonde hair behind his ears. "It looks good on you."

"Thanks," Sliver said, his face growing hot. He let go of Whisper and clasped his hands behind his back. "I have a question to ask."

"Ask away," Whisper replied happily. She sat down on the bed and patted beside her for Sliver to sat down, which he did. He looked nervously at her.

"So… what was it like? What happened?"

"Umm…" Whisper and rubbed her forehead. "Now that I think about it, it wasn't so bad. I mean, at the beginning it was. I was so confused and I was so sick… but as the months droned on I got more freedom and eventually I made friends. Those friends are currently back in the village," Whisper said, throat dry. "It's dangerous, leaving them there. But they agreed that it was the only way too and that Master Tekachi and his Shade army would leave them alone. Besides, they probably think that they're gonna win the war and they'll need the village to use as servants." She shook her head. _What was Meggan and Brand doing now?_ "Anyways, I was able to train under them and we led that revolt that got us here. And now, we fight against them in a week, if that is what Tekachi is thinking. But enough about me, what happened to Edgeville when it was attacked?"

"There were several deaths," Sliver said sadly. "And many houses were burned. But they are rebuilding and are probably finished by now."

Whisper leaned against Sliver and placed her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I'm just glad that this war is going to be over soon. All I want to do is sleep day and night…"

"Heh, I know what you mean," Sliver said. He put an arm around her hesitantly. "Uh…"

"I missed you," she said suddenly. "You and Kag so much. For awhile I'd thought I'd never see you again."

Quietly, he responded, "and now you have."

She nodded. "Now, go before someone gets the wrong idea." She lifted her head off his shoulder and gave him a little shove. "I need my beauty sleep."

"Of course, my beautiful sleeping beauty," he said, softly laughing. He quickly left and she retired to bed.

Xxx

A few days passed and they had officially planned to go war. Their numbers wouldn't match the Shades', but skills were a different matter. The mages were brought out, as they were going to be a major part of this war.

"The archers will go on the higher ground; half of the mages will be with them, and the other half on the battlefield," Tekachi said, speaking to all the Generals. "We had a few scouts go out and we already have a plan to meet the enemy on this battlefield. They outnumber us by the thousands, but their skills do not. Shades are really only trained in sword combat and we can vastly get rid of their numbers by using archers.

"We'll send half of the men of Captain Vess's army out on the battlefield; meanwhile, my Silent Warriors will go around. Our plan is to box them in, and then we will have them," Tekachi said, then sat back in his chair, waiting for the questions to pop up.

One General shook his head. "How can we be so sure to trust you?" He looked at Whisper, who was about to say something, but he cut her off, "I know that she trust's you with her life and that trust is a hard goal to earn. How will you earn ours?"

Tekachi pondered for a moment. "I agree, trust is not something to give out freely. It's taken me months to learn that Whisper trusted me, and that I trusted her. But with her trust, I've been able to see the things that go wrong around me and the things that people have suffered by my hand. I wasn't able to do anything about it or even think about it till she came along." He looked evenly at Whisper. "I owe her my life."

"Granted, but if you survive the battle, you might not survive the judgment of the King," the General continued on. "Those bloody hands of yours covered in innocent blood has yet to be justified."

"I understand," Tekachi slowly nodded.

"General's, you have your orders?" Captain Vess stood up. At their nods, he said, "We go to battle in three days at dawn. Make sure you're ready. Dismissed."

Whisper followed Tekachi out, noticing his slumped shoulders. She sighed. A lot of stress was being put on his shoulders. She walked with him into his tent, where he sat down and put his head in his hands and sighed heavily. "I can't keep doing this. So much depends on this plan. It seems so easy, but something will go wrong. Something always goes wrong. It always does…"

"Nothing is perfect," Whisper said and sat down beside him. "You know that. I know that," she quietly said. She took his hand in hers. "I want you to survive. I want…"

"Lady Vess!" a man shouted outside the tent. "Your father wishes to speak with you!"

Whisper shook her head and Tekachi patted her hand. "Save your thought for another time," he said. "Now, go visit your father."

His eyes followed her as she left. Once she was gone, he leaned back against the tent pole and closed his eyes, thinking the whole plan over again in his head. "This will work…" he whispered.

"You're right, it will work," the voice of Aay drifted into the tent. "Tekachi. Son of Tekachi," Aay laughed, though it wasn't spirited. "Your mother…"

"I do not wish to speak about my mother," he replied, keeping his voice harsh.

"What did you think of her?" Aay asked softly.

"I don't know," he replied. "I only knew her for awhile. She died when I was only four."

"I'm sure you blame me," Aay said after awhile. She walked farther in the tent and stood a little ways from Tekachi, who hadn't opened his eyes yet, "But what I saw in your mother wasn't a mother that I would want. She reminded me all too much of what my mother had been like… cruel. Evil. Bloodthirsty. But…" Aay hung her head in apology. "I'm sorry."

"In all my years after I learned of my mother's death, I vowed to kill you, because I grew up without knowing a true mother's love," he said, opening his eyes slightly. "But then I look around at the families around me and realize most are far off worse than me. If my mother had lived, I might have grown up to be a hardened person like themselves… like my father. But I'm doing my best to not turn out to him," he said firmly, gazing up at Aay. "I'm determined to overthrow him. He will not survive."

Aay grinned. "Keep thinking like that, Tekachi, and you've won your battle. I'll see you on the battlefield," she said and walked out.

The three days passed on quickly, and the dawn of the battle had arrived.

**Small update, late update, at least it's an update! **


	21. P2: Chapter 2

**Long intro because I've been gone: **

**I'm back after ten months of not updating. This was discontinued for awhile… I had written the beginning of this at least a week ago and I just now finished it. This is one of the last chapters. Amaranth the Immortal, you just reviewed right as I was writing it… I thank you for your kind review, and I do hope I don't disappoint you with this chapter. It's going to seem quick, but that's because it's a battle scene. **

**It was discontinued because I had stopped playing Runescape for so long and I just lost interest in it… but now I've come back to see it as a story and I'm going to complete it. And I have gotten back on Runescape, too. I'm now level 68. XD I'm on at random times for mostly short periods of times. If you feel like talking, just add me and I might be on. (name for RS: warrioraayla) I'm now a senior in High School, so I'm going to be busy this year!! **

**Please note my battles do not follow the Runescape battlying system totally… I make up my own ways to use magic, so… yes. If you have a complaint about how it's not "Runescape" then I'm sorry. I tried to make this story more lifelike! **

**Onto the story, FINALLY! Enjoy!**

Gazing at the scene before him, Tekachi didn't let himself have any emotion on his face. He only gazed and no one asked why. Men and women headed left and right, carrying weapons and barking orders at each other, and soon Tekachi watched them line up in a perfect formation. He watched Whisper pass by him several times and ignored her look when she looked at him in question. He sighed and guessed it was time to get moving.

"Tekachi," Whisper said, holding out her hand in front of his face. "Time to go. You're coming with my father's division to the field and your army is following."

"Heh," Tekachi took her hand in his and stood up quickly. "I suppose so. Are you ready?"

"Have you not noticed the armor?" Whisper smiled at him. She pointed down to her arm guards and her dragon spirit armor. "My father prepared this especially for me…" she pulled him along to a tent, which was empty except for one shield. "And this is for you. It's a dragon shield, which I hope you'll use. It's better than your rune one."

Tekachi picked up the dragon shield and admired the sleek red covering. "This is rare to get, though back at my castle we have dragon armor stored away. Most likely they'll be used with the shades," he said sullenly.

Whisper nodded. "We're expecting the worst. But now it's time to go, Tekachi."

Tekachi gave a nod and let himself be pulled along. Captain Vess gave a crisp nod towards Tekachi as he got on his horse and without a word, Captain Vess moved everyone foreword. Silence followed their footsteps as the battle field got closer.

"Here he is," Tekachi said quietly. "He's here."

Captain Vess stopped his voice and his eyes narrowed. "Where is he now?"

"He's in front of us," Whisper said, seeing a body form in front of them. It was a dark mist which appeared with the same appearance as Tekachi, except an older version. Master Tekachi grinned at the Captain and at Tekachi, then he rested his eyes on Whisper.

"I see my plan fell together all too well," Master Tekachi laughed. "Indeed it has. And on the battle field of the grave of your mother, Tekachi! I couldn't think of a better place."

"It's a better place to set your grave beside my mothers," Tekachi called out. He kicked his horse lightly, moving it foreword. "Nothing is left for you as all you lead now is an army of Shades."

"Who needs anyone else to follow me now if it's only Shades?" Master Tekachi said. "Come, my boy. My army can't wait for a fight."

"Then it's a fight you will get!" Captain Vess called out. "Lady Aay! You know what to do!"

"Right!" Aay said, holding her hand out towards Master Tekachi. "Split!"

Tekachi didn't have to look behind him to know that the full army ran to double its length as it approached Master Tekachi, who had held up a hand in the air and called out the Shades, who appeared behind him in black forming mist. Tekachi gritted his teeth; the Shades had at least five hundred more than their army. That would be no matter if each person in their army could take out at least five each, but there's the risk of them losing their lives too. It was risky, but it could work.

But for now, Tekachi was on his own. He calmed himself and let all thoughts fall from his mind: he got off his horse, along with the other people in his command. Leela stood beside him and she too was ridding herself of emotions. They breathed deeply and let themselves disappear from sight.

He swung his sword at the nearest shade and it went clean through, making the shade burst into a black blood and it dripped to the ground in a pour. His men and women were dancing around him, their swords making silent sounds as they cut through air and a thunderous clang was made when met with a shade's blade. Whisper had joined alongside Tekachi, holding her sword ready, swinging it at any shade coming her way. Her father was leading his men through the shades, forcing their horses to break through the line the shades had. Tekachi didn't hold his mind over there; his thoughts were on his sword. His feet.

Whisper was currently looking around for Master Tekachi and she found him standing at the farthest edge from the battlefield, not moving at all, just watching the battle play out beside him. _Thank goodness we have men waiting to be called on,_ Whisper thought. _It'll take a lot of us to defeat this army, and Master Tekachi._ She took off at a full run at the shade running towards her. She jumped and kicked the shade in the face before it could swing its sword, then it disappeared in a mist and formed behind Whisper, holding its sword high. Whisper had been expecting this. She simply twirled around and swung her swords at the legs; the shade crumpled to the ground, and she hacked its head off and didn't have time to watch it turn into blood.

Leela joined Whisper's side and together they took on a group of five shades, decked out in full armor from head to toe. Together they aimed for their weak spots beneath the arms and the backside, their swords collecting the black blood that the shades shed. Dusty was with his men to their right; they had broken through a thick line of shades guarding the generals of the shades, dancing their way around the shades.

But Whisper reminded herself that this was war. Left and right she had to step over bodies of faces she had known or didn't recognize; she slid in the blood of her fallen comrades. Shades hacked a persons' arm or leg off, then decapitated them so they would die. Tekachi had drifted away from Whisper and was fighting some shades on his own, his feet leaving grass uprooted as he swerved around the shades. Whisper couldn't help but looking at Tekachi, looking at him in wonder as he seemed to disappear from sight as he fought.

Tekachi knew they had cut through enough for the second part of the battle to start. He raised his hand and cried "Wizards!" in a booming voice, and he quickly whipped out the water runes that he kept in his pockets. Everybody else was whipping out the water runes that they had with them and they quickly performed a spell to work out a ball of water that they held in front of them in the air. They held it above them as the Wizards held up their staffs and brought forth fire from their staffs, aiming it at shades left and right.

The shades were prepared for this. Some shades swung their swords round in order to put out the fire just from a harsh blow of air; some worked magic and drowned out the fire, and some were caught unprepared. Tekachi and the others whipped their water around them at any fire streak that came for them, and also used it to attack any shade around them.

After awhile the Wizards stopped their attack and they drifted onto the battle field, fighting with smaller attacks. Tekachi aimed the last ball of water at a shade and let the water create a harsh force when it landed against the shade so it blew its arm off, letting Tekachi have the opportunity to kill it. Lady Aay had worked herself to the side of the battlefield with Patrick at her side, and together they created a strong force that destroyed Shades in their way. They protected one another's backs, making it almost impossible for one to get hurt.

The battle droned on. Captain Vess was now watching from the sidelines, commanding the generals to send their men to certain places, trying to plan the perfect way to defeat the shades. Whisper eventually fell back and stopped to catch her breath; she knew this would draw well into the night, even into the morning. She would save her energy… she was just lucky to have survived this long. She walked to her father and watched the battle with him, giving her own suggestions to where the men should be sent. Eventually they moved up as the Shades had been pushed back, and the hours of fighting continued.

Whisper heard a slight brush in the wind, and she let herself move without any thought. The shade that appeared before Captain Vess was dead before it even had the time to fully materialize by Whisper's sword through its neck. She wiped off the blood on the grass, shaking her head.

Dawn eventually came and that was when Whisper wished she had been more careful. She didn't realize the situation before it happened: it just did. She had taken one step foreword and with that one step she realized she was in a different place, a brick room with nothing in it, except some light coming from a window. There wasn't even a door and the window looked sealed shut.

Her father appeared in front of her and Whisper took a step toward him hesitantly. "Where are we?" she asked, her voice raw from yelling from battle.

"I don't…" her father started, then chocked. Blood dribbled out from the corner of his mouth; he looked down at his chest, seeing a sword through it. Whisper watched horrified as he crumpled to the ground, his breath gone before his head hit the floor. Master Tekachi stood behind her father's limp form, the bloody sword in his hand.

"Not much of a leader, is he?" He said, his voice mocking.

"What…" Whisper had a hard time forming words, less thinking of them.

"You know those special events you get?" Master Tekachi said, grinning widely. His black eyes twinkled from the light. "Consider it one of these. You've been chosen."

Whisper felt a sharp pain go through her chest. She looked down with darkening vision at the sword in her chest. Master Tekachi twisted the sword in a complete circle, ripping her lungs in half. She didn't have time to feel the blood in her mouth; she knew she was dead as she hit the ground and thought nothing more.

* * *

"Hey, Tekachi," Leela panted when she caught up with Tekachi, who was leaning up against a tree, catching his breath. "You might want to head back to Captain Vess. Something happened to Whisper and he can't figure out what's happening."

"Is she hurt?" Tekachi asked, bolting straight up. He took off in a sprint, using almost the last of his energy. He didn't bother waiting for Leela's answer. Running at full speed, he jumped over the bodies and in a few minutes Captain Vess was in his sight, and he stopped beside his horse. "Where's Whisper?"

Captain Vess looked back and pointed, a worried look on his aged face. "There, by that tree. She screamed and fainted, and now we can't get her to wake up." He looked back at Tekach. "Do anything you can to help her."

"I'll try," Tekachi said, then ran to Whisper, who was being guarded by Sliver and Kag, who both shared the same grim expression. They nodded appreciatively towards Tekachi, then turned their attention back to what they were doing. Tekachi kneeled down next to Whisper and placed a hand on her cheek. It was ice cold. He looked at her strained eyes, the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. "What's happening to you, Whisper?" Her hair was strewn out around her, messy from the fight. Her breath was ragged and short, and her body twitched slightly every few moments.

"She's in a trance," Tekachi sighed. "She's caught in it and she's being tortured in the trance. If she doesn't wake up soon, her body will start to think it's really happening and will shut itself down. I've seen this done, just once. I forget by whom, but it had been a friend who I was training. We guessed it was a shade, but only one very powerful could do this."

"Then who was it?" Sliver asked, wiping a dirty hand through his hair.

"My father, most likely. It's his way of acting," Tekachi shook his head. "It's a coward way of acting, Father!" he called out, knowing his father would be able to hear him.

He blinked, then found he was where Whisper was in the trance. It was a brick room where Whisper was laying on the ground, her hands held against her chest. Tekachi quickly kneeled down and placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. "Whisper!"

Her eyes opened and she looked up at him, her eyes hazy. "Ugh," she groaned and attempted to sit up. She looked down at her chest and laid a hand tenderly against it. "Hey…"

"You're in a trance," Tekachi said. "My father brought you in here. He made you see things that weren't true."

"Then how did you get in my trance?" Whisper asked, rubbing her forehead.

Tekachi pulled her into his arms lightly, running a hand through her hair. He sighed. "I take after my father. I was able to do this once when I tried to save my friend who was in a trance. I just… I don't know. I pull myself into what you're seeing."

Whisper nodded against his shoulder. "I'm exhausted."

"Heh. Me too."

"How do we get out of this trance?" Whisper asked, pulling away from Tekachi. She looked up at him and wiped a splatter of blood on his forehead away with the back of her hand. "We're still here."

"Somebody needs to wake us up," Tekachi said. All the sudden he Whisper disappeared from front of him and he found himself out of the trance, a cold metal pressed against his neck. He found he had collapsed on Whisper and he shook her hand slightly that he was holding. It was enough to wake her up and she woke up with a gasp. He let his eyes travel up to the malicious eyes of his father and he lifted himself slowly, this sword still to his neck.

Whisper sat up and took another harsh intake of air, noticing the limp forms of Kag and Sliver lying on the ground. "You…"

"I didn't kill them, yet," Master Tekachi said. "You should be grateful, Lady Vess."

Tekachi flicked his wrist and knocked away the sword with the dagger he was now holding. The speed he had gone at was incredible. He had felt his own arm disappear and materialize in front of the sword, and he decided to use that speed. He pushed his father away by stepping closer, and then let himself disappear in the air and appear in front of his father. He pushed him against the tree, holding a dagger against his throat, his hand clenching his father's hand, holding the sword away.

"You've realized the shade power that you hold," Master Tekachi gasped out against the pressure of the blade. "I'm proud. Make your father even more proud, Tekachi."

"I will," Tekachi growled, holding the blade closer. "By killing you."

"You'll have to show me your ability in battle first, son," Master Tekachi replied, then disappeared in a black dust. He appeared ten feet away from Tekachi, sword held ready. "Come."

Tekachi sheathed his dagger and took hold of his sword. He took a stance, taking a deep breath.

"I'll fight, too," Whisper said. She took a defensive stance as she stood by Tekachi, a determined look on her face.

"It's my fight," Tekachi shook his head, speaking his words quietly. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt, either," Whisper replied back. She gripped the handle of her sword harder. "If we're ever going to work out our relationship, we might as well find out if we work together."

"Are you sure you want to be together with a half shade?" Tekachi said, a light smile on his lips.

"I'd rather be with no one else other than you." Whisper spoke her words with truth. "Believe me, trust me, fight with me. It's our fight."

"Heh," Tekachi shook his head. His father was standing there, a smirk on his face, waiting for them to sort everything out. "It was originally my fight from the beginning."

"I was automatically added when you captured me. Remind me to battle you next when we're done with this. You need to learn your lesson."

At this Tekachi grinned. "Deal." His face turned grim and he took a step forward. "Get ready."

"I'm ready when you are," Whisper said, nodding her head, her eyes locking with Tekachi's. They both stepped forward and then they both went opposite directions, using their speed to catch Master Tekachi off guard.

Master Tekachi had whipped out another sword and blocked both of their attacks, and Tekachi broke sword contact and aimed for an opening at his neck and Whisper aimed for the knee, which Master Tekachi parried against both. He was apparently well mastered in magic – magic dripped off the sword, clinging around the swords. Water shot out from the tip of the sword, wrapping itself about Tekachi's arm. It burned into his skin as it used pressure to cut through, but he ignored it and countered with his own magic, fire dripping from his sword. He rammed it at his father and Tekachi leaned back far enough to miss it. Whisper whipped out her leg and caught it around Master Tekachi's knee and yanked him to the ground. He disappeared and reappeared behind Whisper, and she quickly dodged to the left as she heard the sword cutting through the air towards her.

Tekachi willed himself to disappear like his father and stood in front of him, locking swords. His father held his two swords in front of him like a V, fire melting like lava off the sword. Tekachi had worked out an air spell around his sword which was held between the swords, which waved off any fire that came close. Tekachi hadn't realized that they had appeared at least forty feet from Whisper and he was by himself against his father this round. He wrestled his father for a few seconds, straining with all his strength against the two swords.

His father's hands started to turn black, which he cursed at. Tekachi found it easier to push against him as his father seemed weakened, and he pushed him back with one final thrust. His father landed on the ground, dropping one sword, and awkwardly holding his other hand, which had black skin crawling up his arm. His skin melted onto his bones, leaving his arm totally black and skeletal. Tekachi looked down at his father, a little speechless. His father was decaying in front of him…

"This… isn't… over… yet…" Master Tekachi said, his jaw now skeletal. He was turning into a full shade, Tekachi realized. His eyes changed black and they turned into a black dust and faded away. Lifeless, black eye sockets looked at Tekachi.

Tekachi held up his sword and held it to his father's neck. He yanked it through, but found he hit empty air. His father was directly in front of him, his face inches away from his. Tekachi gasped and jolted when he felt a quick stab in his gut and he looked down, bringing his left hand to his stomach where his father's sword was. He grabbed hold of the blade and slowly pulled it out, wrestling against the faded strength of his father. He coughed out blood as he yanked the sword out slowly.

His father fell to his knees. _The change to a shade have obviously weakened him, _Tekachi thought sullenly. He ignored the blood pouring out of his stomach as he brought the sword once again to his father's neck.

"End it," his father growled.

"Gladly." Tekachi yanked it through and watched as his father's black blood rained down on the ground, and then he felt himself fall to his knees. He heard Whisper cry out, he felt her wrap her hands around his stomach and lower him to the ground, he felt her hands against his cheek, but he didn't see her. His eyes were in the darkness and he felt lightless…

He woke up with a jerk and looked around him.

Grey stone walls surrounded him… the place where he had found in Whisper's trance.

He stood up slowly, noticing that he had no wounds and that his clothes were not ripped from battle. He looked at the stone wall and cringed, not wanting to know why he was there. He went to the wall and laid his hand against the stone wall. It was cold. He leaned his forehead against it, taking a deep breath. Somehow he had gotten into a trance, and when he would wake up… he would be dead. _It would then impossible for me to wake up, huh…_ Tekachi leaned against the wall, sinking to the ground.

The room was cold.

Maybe this was his hell after defeating his father.

To stay here and rot.

Despair clouded his mind and he held his head in his hands.

He could only think of one word:

_Whisper. _


End file.
